Turn and Face the Strange
by CorrosiveMidnight
Summary: Sacred Stones pairing: Kyle x Forde. I thought it would be kinda weird, so I gave it a shot. Let's just see where something like this would go. Other pairings may apply. Still on hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I think it's well-documented that this site was put here for people who do not own the characters herein. But in case you didn't know, I'll fill you in. I own neither Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones, nor the characters associated with that particular game. I would also like to add that this story is not to be mistaken as being true to the story line or the actual characters of the game. I am simply using them to entertain myself and anyone who may be interested in reading this work of fan fiction.

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_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Warning: In case you didn't know from the pairing in the summary, this is a male/male type thing. If you do not enjoy or are not interested in reading such things, please turn away. Though it will not be very graphic, it may offend anyone who's not ready to accept the concept. Thank you._

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It had taken time to repair the damage that had been done in that war. It had affected the entire continent, but with a lot of hard work everything began to get back in order. The deadened hillsides began to flourish once again revealing its former glory. All the hard work and all the effort had been worth it just to see the impending beauty that was sure to follow. It was all worth it.

Well…, to most. But to one young Renais knight, it had been nothing more than backbreaking, time consuming labor. Forde could think of a million better things to do than waste his youth away rebuilding a kingdom. Currently, the group he was with was planting young saplings in an open field, while he found a seat on a very comfortable tuft of grass. He was presently drawing the sight before him. The lovely meadow with rolling hills in the background, some flowers speckling the grass in the distance, and the others in his group. He took care to draw the individuals in his picture since he was a little out of practice when it came to doing portraits. He had no paint with him, so sketching and shading would have to do for now, but he took great care in drawing his comrades anyway. His little brother, Franz was showing one of the saplings to Amelia, who was asked to move to the kingdom of Renais and become one of her knights. Seth had kneeled beside one of the plants to admire it. Even the new king of Renais, King Ephraim, had decided to come out and play in the dirt. His queen, the lovely Tana, had not joined them, for she had traveled to the kingdom of Frelia to visit with King Innes and Queen Eirika. King Ephraim was standing over Seth, chatting with him. And, of course, last but not least was Forde's long time companion, Kyle. He looked a little out of place in the drawing. He would never be still long enough for Forde to 'capture a moment'.

Forde looked up at his friend who was now walking toward him. (Busted,) Forde thought as he slowly got to his feet.

"Forde, what do you think you're doing?" Kyle asked with a very irritated look on his face. Actually, this was the look he always presented.

Forde smiled. "You know, the people of Renais will be really pleased with our work here." As he tried to change the subject, he had folded the picture he was working on and was shoving it into his armor.

Kyle looked at him with his usual solemn expression. "Forde." He ran his fingers through his hair and rolled his eyes. "I've been watching you this whole time, you know."

Forde grinned moronically. "Really? I didn't know you cared." He'd given this look on purpose. Feigning ignorance kept him out of trouble for the most part.

Kyle looked at him and sighed. "Forde..." He looked over at their king, who was still busy talking to Seth, then looked back at Forde. "You've been doing nothing but goofing off all day. Give me the drawing."

"What drawing?" Forde asked innocently, feigning ignorance once again.

"Stop messing around, Forde. I'm serious," Kyle said. He held out his hand.

Forde huffed and handed the drawing over.

Kyle unfolded the drawing and studied it. "What's this?"

"What?" Forde questioned. He stood beside Kyle and looked at the drawing with him.

"Is that me?" Kyle asked very seriously.

Forde frowned. "Now don't go doubting my sketching prowess. You kept moving around. I couldn't get a good fix on what you were doing, so I just drew you."

Kyle looked slightly surprised. "No. I wasn't saying that it was bad. I mean, I just didn't think I looked like _that_."

"What do you mean, 'like _that_'?" Forde asked.

Just as Forde was about to go on, the king himself walked over to them.

Kyle tried to fold the picture back up and slide it into his armor without Ephraim taking notice. "My Lord," he greeted with a small bow.

"Your Highness," Forde said, copying Kyle's bow.

Ephraim nodded to each of them. "What do you two think you're doing here?"

"We weren't doing anything, Sire," Forde lied.

Kyle looked at Forde.

"And that is exactly what it looks like you're doing," Ephraim said to them. He looked at Kyle strangely. "I expect this kind of behavior from Forde, but you, Kyle? I have to say I'm a little surprised. And disappointed."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. It won't happen again," Kyle said.

"See that it doesn't," Ephraim said with a small smile. Though he was somewhat kidding, he was also serious. He didn't want to see a perfectly good knight turn into...Forde. "I'm beginning to think that you spend too much time with Forde."

Kyle looked up at the sky. "Of course." He was about to go back to his duties when the drawing fell out of the side of his armor.

Forde could only look at it.

Ephraim picked the drawing up and unfolded it. "Oh, no. Have you started drawing everywhere you go too?"

"Actually, Your Majesty, that's mine," Forde said. "Kyle came over to stop me from drawing, as always. And he took it away from me."

Ephraim looked at the drawing for a while. "Well, then. That makes a lot more sense." He looked at the sketch strangely. "This drawing is perfect..., but Kyle looks odd for some reason. Maybe it's because he's so big in the picture compared to everyone else." He folded the drawing, looked at Forde and gave it back to Kyle. "You hold onto that," he told the green-haired knight without even looking at him.

"Yes, Sire," Kyle said.

Ephraim kept his eyes on Forde. "And you, get to work. I'm under the impression that from the looks of that drawing you haven't done a thing all day." He turned and went over to where Franz and Amelia were helping each other.

Forde sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I guess that's gonna put a delay on my vacation."

Kyle shook his head and laughed. "Vacation? You can't take a vacation from _nothing_." He started back toward his area.

Forde watched Kyle walk away at first, wondering how often an event like Kyle's laughing occurred. He knew he rarely heard it. He jogged after Kyle. "Alright, since I don't do anything, why don't I give you a hand?"

"Because I'll be _working_. That seems to be a foreign concept to you," Kyle said.

"Hey, drawing isn't just tossing a bunch of charcoal against a piece of paper, you know. It takes a lot of hard work," Forde told his friend.

Kyle picked up one of the saplings and tossed it to Forde. "Think fast."

Forde was caught off guard. He fumbled, trying to catch the little tree, but it ended up falling anyway. He picked it up and glared at Kyle.

"To be honest, Forde, I don't think you know what work is," Kyle said plainly.

"Hmph. I never did give you those painting lessons I promised you, did I?" Forde asked.

"Nope," Kyle said, digging a hole in the ground.

Forde just held his sapling. "Then, that's when I'll show you that what I do isn't just 'goofing off'."

Kyle took the sapling from Forde, planted it and covered its roots with dirt. He let out a long sigh and wiped some sweat from his brow.

Forde laughed. "I should have been here doing this earlier. This is easy."

Kyle smirked. "Uh, huh. You think so?" He handed Forde the shovel roughly. "Your turn."

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--next day, at Renais castle...

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Forde and Kyle were in the knights' quarters in the castle. Since they were officially the king's closest royal guards, they all lived in the castle. Forde had promised Kyle painting lessons, and painting lessons he would give him.

Kyle looked at the painting materials Forde laid out. Then he looked at Forde. "What do I do with this?"

"I'm gonna show you how to paint," Forde told him.

Kyle sighed. "I know that much. I mean, how do I start?"

Forde laughed a little. "You start by picking up a brush."

"No. What do I do? Isn't there some way of going about this? I mean, what's the best way to look at painting? What are the rules? How do you do it?" Kyle asked.

"Man. You are so uptight about everything. Painting is an art form, not war. There aren't a bunch of strategies, there's no strict layout of what you want to accomplish. It's about feelings," Forde told him. He smiled. "I can tell you're gonna have a problem with this." He picked up one of the paint brushes and gave it to Kyle. He stood right behind him and looked at the empty canvas. "I'll try to explain it in a way that you can understand. The canvas is your enemy."

Kyle looked back at Forde out of the corner of his eye, then at the canvas. "There's nothing there."

"Right," Forde said. "Any new experience is like this blank canvas. You don't know where to start and you don't know what the end result will be. Today, it's an enemy in the field that you've never faced, but you know you have to fight against him."

Kyle furrowed his brow gravely. "An enemy I've never faced, huh? I don't think you even know what you're talking about. Well, at least I know how to use my weapons in the field. I don't have a clue here."

"Well, you weren't born with a sword in your hand, were you? You had to learn to use it at some point," Forde reminded him with a laugh. "Come on. It'll be easy. At least according to you it will be, seeing how I don't work and all."

"Hmph. Well, you don't," Kyle said. "Honestly, I don't know why I ever believed I could learn anything from you. You've proven to be self-centered at every turn. You don't even want to put your life on the line for your kingdom. Why would I expect you to be able to teach me anything when you can't even see outside your own selfish little world?"

Forde really got serious for a change. "Okay, I usually blow off the insults you ramble off to me, but that one hurt. You know, if I really weren't willing to lay down my life for king and country, I wouldn't even be a knight," he said quietly. He walked over to the canvas and ran a finger across it.

Kyle looked surprised to see the sudden change in Forde's usually upbeat attitude. "Well, you don't act like it, Forde. You're always drawing or sleeping." He looked at the paint brush in his hand. "It's like you don't care about anything or anyone." He looked at Forde. "It's hard to take you seriously."

Forde looked at Kyle. "Well, we've got enough serious people around. I figured that having one guy who's not so uptight wouldn't hurt." He smiled a little. "Besides, it helps keep you on your toes."

"And just when I think you're about to be serious about something, you go back to being The Jester. Forde, you really need to start taking things more seriously," Kyle said.

"And you need to start taking yourself less seriously," Forde retorted with an even bigger smile. He walked over to Kyle. "Starting with this whole painting thing. It's a good way to loosen up." He took Kyle's brush and dipped it into some green paint. "And you'd be surprised how much it helps improve your spear and sword handling." He gave the brush back to Kyle.

Kyle looked surprised. (Forde? Talking about spears and swords off the field?) he thought. (I don't believe it.) Kyle looked at the brush in his hand for a while, then at the empty canvas. He frowned.

Forde rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're the one who said this was so easy. Here." He walked over and stood behind Kyle once again. "When you paint, you want to have total control over all your strokes. If you practice a particular stroke, you'll get better at brush control." He put his hand on the hand Kyle had his brush in and slowly started making small repeating motions across the canvas.

Kyle just watched silently as Forde moved his hand around. Forde's face was so close to his ear that he could hear him breathing. Something wasn't right.

"The first thing I want you to work on is making all your strokes the same," Forde said to him as he kept moving Kyle's hand in the same motion to draw the same pattern across the canvas. "Precision. Control. Those are what you'll be working on for now." He let go of Kyle's hand and Kyle almost dropped the paint brush. "Keep working on that. When I see that you've got it, we'll move on to something else."

Kyle cleared his throat and went on making the pattern that Forde had shown him as his instructor stood behind him to observe. Something was still wrong. Kyle's painting hand began to tremble a little as he went on making the pattern. The strokes were no longer looking the same.

Forde noticed the change in Kyle's motions. "Hey, if you're tired, you should take a break. Give your arm a rest." He laughed a little. "Or then again, maybe I'm making you nervous."

"To tell you the truth, you _are_ making me a little nervous," Kyle told him. He put the brush in the water cup and folded his arms across his chest. "I don't like it when you're being weird like this."

"Weird like what?" Forde asked, looking confused.

Kyle turned to him. "I don't know. Like, serious."

Forde raised an eyebrow. "First, you tell me that I need to take things more seriously. Then you tell me that I make you nervous when I do take things seriously. If I didn't know any better I'd think we were married."

Kyle's face flushed deep red. "Forde..."

Forde looked at Kyle and laughed out loud. "You look really funny when you change colors like that. This is the first time I've ever seen you like this. It's kinda cute."

Kyle's already deep red face flushed even more. He remained silent and looked away.

"No need to be so embarrassed," Forde told Kyle with a laugh. "You gotta learn to relax a little."

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--later...

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Forde had shown Franz the picture he'd drawn during yesterday's restoration mission. He smiled. "You should have seen the way Amelia was looking at you while you were talking about that plant. I don't know what you were saying, but she sure was into it. Or maybe she was into you."

Franz blushed. "I don't know about that second part, but she's really into nature and stuff like that."

"Well, if she likes things like that, you should take her fishing with you. She'd probably love that," Forde suggested.

"I don't know," Franz said, looking away.

Forde laughed. "Believe me, little brother. That girl is so into you, she can't see straight."

"I don't know about that, Forde. I think you're over-exaggerating," Franz told his brother.

"Franz, Forde," someone greeted from behind them. This was good old Kyle. "There is training to be done."

Franz looked at Kyle. "Yeah, you're right. There's a spear competition coming up." He looked at Forde. "Tell me you'll enter."

"Nah," Forde answered quickly.

"Oh, come on, Brother. I'd like to show you how much I've improved," Franz said.

"We were all in a huge war not that long ago. I've seen how much you've improved. How could you think about training and competitions after something like that?" Forde asked.

Franz frowned.

"Don't worry, Franz," Kyle said. "That lump-on-a-log probably wouldn't be much competition anyway." He knew Forde too well. He knew that if he doubted Forde's skills that he would want to prove otherwise. He winked at Franz.

Franz smiled. "I guess you're right, Kyle. He wouldn't be much competition."

"Wait just a minute, now. I've got what it takes," Forde said. "I just need a break is all."

"Well, let's hope it's nothing that'll keep you out of the next war," Kyle said.

Franz laughed a little. "I'd better go. My rival will probably want to train with me." He looked at his brother. "And maybe I'll take her fishing after that."

"That's the spirit," Forde told his little brother. "And while you do that, I think I'll take a little nap."

Franz shook his head and left.

Just as Forde was about to lie down, Kyle grabbed him by the shirt. "Armor up, soldier. You're training with me whether you like it or not."

Forde sighed. "Don't you have anything better to do? Why don't you go rescue some fair maiden or something?"

"What do you think I'm doing now?" Kyle asked. He smirked. "With all that hair you look like a girl. Why don't you cut that stuff off?"

"Oh, all of a sudden you have a sense of humor." Forde shook his head. "No way. This is a symbol of art. Without my hair I'm just that guy who swings a sword. People see this hair and say, 'That fellow over there is an artist'."

"So that's why you can't keep the girls away from you, huh Forde?" Kyle said sarcastically.

"I'll leave that part up to you, oh great warrior hero," Forde responded.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "That's enough out of you. I want to see you in full armor and out on the training grounds in 3 minutes. You're just arguing to waste time."

Forde held up his hands. "Caught red-handed. I guess I'll have to be more creative if I plan to get away with fooling you."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere either, Forde. You're down to two minutes. I'll be waiting," Kyle told him. He left the knights' quarters.

"I don't know who he thinks he is. He can't push me around like this," Forde murmured to himself. But as he said it, he was putting on his armor.

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--training grounds...

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Amelia quickly lunged at Franz with her practice spear and hit him in his side, forcing him to the ground.

"Nice work, Amelia. You're really improving, but you'll have to work on your aim. It's almost like you're swinging blindly at anything that might get in the way," Seth said. "Franz, your parry is still too stiff. That's where Amelia has you beat. Notice how fluid her movements are. That's the reason you can't seem to touch her. Loosen up your stance." He had just finished training himself. "Good job, both of you. Keep practicing."

"Yes, General," both Franz and Amelia said as Seth was leaving the training grounds.

"This isn't really fair. You've spent most of your time training on horseback. If we were both riding, I'd lose to you every time," Amelia told Franz.

Franz laughed uncomfortably. "I don't know if that's true. When we first started out it may have been, but I've seen you on horseback. You're really good."

Kyle wasn't far from Franz and Amelia. He had been waiting for Forde for about ten minutes and he hadn't shown up yet. So he was just watching Amelia and Franz in the meantime.

"You're the one who's good, Franz. Both with a spear and a sword. I still haven't gotten used to swords. They're so much harder to handle," Amelia said. "I'd like to learn, but I don't think I can."

"I-I could teach you. I-it's not as hard as it seems," Franz stammered a little. "We could start after we take a break."

Amelia smiled at him. "That would be nice."

Franz scratched the back of his head. "Um..., when we take our break, would you like to go fishing with me?"

"Of course, I will," Amelia said, sounding a little too excited. She calmed down. "I mean, it sounds like a lot of fun."

Franz's eyes lit up. "Great. That's great." He readied himself for another round. "Shall we continue with our training?"

Amelia took her stance. "Ready when you are."

Kyle smiled to himself as he watched the two youngsters spar with each other. He had decided that Forde wouldn't show. (He probably fell asleep in the middle of suiting up,) he thought. He chuckled to himself when he imagined Forde half armored and sleeping standing straight up.

"What's so funny?" someone asked from behind him.

"You, that's what," Kyle replied. He turned around to see Forde standing there. "What took you so long, Forde? Did you fall asleep again?"

"Veeeeeryyyyyy funny," Forde declared sarcastically. "No. I ran into Lute. She was looking for you, so I told her that if she couldn't figure out where you were then she may as well just stop looking."

"What'd you tell her that for?" Kyle asked.

Forde laughed at the expression on Kyle's face. "That was priceless. You should have seen yourself. Your eyes were all bugged out." He laughed a little louder. "I didn't tell her that. She was asking about you and I told her that you and I were training together. So she said for me to tell you she was looking for you and she let me go."

"And that took ten minutes?" Kyle asked.

"Well, that was after we made out for a while," Forde said, looking serious.

Kyle frowned and furrowed his brow.

Forde laughed again. "Man, you're easy."

"Forde," Kyle said, irritation setting in. "Grab a practice spear. Let's begin."

Forde sighed. "Still couldn't get away with it, huh?"

"Your skills at avoiding work are lacking at best," Kyle said plainly. "You're not gonna get me that easily. I told you that trickery and banter won't steer you clear of anything."

"Yeah, but it'll sure throw you for a loop," Forde told him. "Seriously, Kyle. You'll believe anything." He picked up a practice spear and started warming up.

Kyle watched Forde, amazed by his movements. (Why won't he put his talent to use on something besides being the court jester? He honestly has what it takes. He just refuses to apply himself.) He just stood there watching him for a while.

Forde held his spear in one hand and tapped it on his shoulder. He looked at Kyle. "Any time you're ready."

Franz and Amelia had stopped their own sparring in order to watch the two older, more experienced knights do battle.

Kyle nodded. He grabbed his spear and held it rigidly in both hands.

An all out fight ensued. Every time Kyle thrust at Forde, he would parry and every time Forde thrust at Kyle, he would block the blow with ease. The twirling and spinning of their spears was dizzying to the two onlookers, but after a while they suddenly stopped. The tip of Forde's spear was only a centimeter from Kyle's chin.

Forde smirked. "Looks like I win."

"Think again," Kyle said seriously. His eyes shifted downward slightly and then back up at Forde.

Forde looked down and saw that Kyle's practice spear had pierced his chest plate. He frowned.

"Draw," they both said, relinquishing their positions.

"Wow! That was amazing," Franz said from the sidelines.

Amelia was astounded, so much so that she couldn't speak.

"You sacrifice your strength for speed," Kyle said. "You're fast and you'll definitely stay alive, but you'll never take down your enemy. Unless you tire him out, that is."

"Yeah, well, you'll kill your enemy, if you can ever catch him. An assassin would have you for breakfast. Your attacks are slow and predictable," Forde told Kyle. "You sacrifice your speed for strength."

"If my attacks are so slow and predictable, why didn't you notice that I had penetrated your armor?" Kyle asked confidently.

Forde gave Kyle a dumbfounded look like he wanted to say something, but there was nothing he could say. He began to pout a little.

Amelia and Franz walked over as they were discussing their sparring match.

"That was unbelievable, you two," Amelia said. "Kyle, your show of strength was out of this world." She looked at Forde's chest plate. "I knew it! You did pierce his armor. I didn't think that was possible to do with just a practice spear. There is real power behind every move you make. And you have solid defense as well. Maybe you're where Franz picked up his style."

Kyle modestly accepted Amelia's compliments. "You know, I was watching you and Franz spar. You have some very impressive moves yourself. You use your size to your advantage, yet you're strong enough to do damage to your opponent. You'll be a great warrior in no time."

Amelia smiled. "You really think so? Thank you so much."

"Man, Forde. Your style is unparalleled," Franz told his brother. "You somehow made every move look...elegant. Like each motion went with the last. It was like you'd rehearsed for this battle. And talk about fast. I wish I had graceful, quick actions like you. Such talent."

Forde smiled. "Well, like I always say, 'Tis better to be thought talented than to prove otherwise'."

Kyle heard Forde's comment and turned to him. "You know, Forde, out of all the things I've ever heard you say, that had to be the one that made the least amount of sense."

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--time to eat...

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It had been a long day of sparring. The two had worked up a sweat trying to best each other, but a lot of their matches ended in draws. They lost count of the ones they actually won because they were so evenly matched on the majority of the fights.

But they worked up an appetite quickly. As soon as Forde and Kyle sat at one of the tables in the knights' mess hall, Lute walked over.

"Greetings, Sir Kyle. Greetings, Sir Forde," Lute said to them. She took a seat beside Kyle. "Did Sir Forde tell you that I had been searching endlessly for you?"

"Actually, he did. I was supposed to find you as soon as I was done training, but we decided to grab a bite to eat first," Kyle said. "How have you been, Lute?"

Forde smiled and nodded to Lute. He began eating.

"I am well, as always. I know that you may find it a bit strange, but I was hoping that we could have a bit of a chat. And since you have been properly introduced to my obviously superior intellect and my charming personality, I know that you will want to hear what it is I have to say," Lute said. "I have done some research and have evaluated it carefully. Now, I must bring this bit of information to your attention."

Kyle shook his head and laughed a little.

Forde looked from Lute to Kyle. (So, I'm not the only person who can make this guy laugh,) he thought as he continued eating. He frowned when he realized what he had just thought.

"What's this bit of information you want to talk to me about?" Kyle asked Lute.

"Actually, I propose that we take our leave of this area. There are far too many ears here," Lute said.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "I know I tell you this all the time, but you're really odd."

"Thank you," Lute said.

Kyle looked at the ceiling. "That wasn't a... Never mind." He looked at Forde. "Watch my food for me, would you, Forde? I'll be right back."

Before Forde could even respond, Kyle left with Lute. He watched them walk to the doorway of the mess hall. The two stood and talked for a while. Kyle laughed several times as she spoke to him. She'd put her hand on his arm more than once. This was typical behavior for two people who held a conversation, but for some reason, it made Forde uncomfortable. The pit of his stomach had that funny feeling like when someone told you a loved one had died or when people you know have to go far away and you know that you'll never see them again. He'd felt that feeling before. And in every case, he was losing someone who was close to him.

But he wasn't losing someone who was close to him now. So why did he have that strange and awful feeling again?

Lute and Kyle hugged. The feeling got worse.

Kyle came back without Lute. He sat down at the table like nothing had happened and started eating.

Forde just looked at Kyle for a while.

Kyle looked up at Forde strangely. "Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing," Forde replied. He just looked at his plate.

Kyle went back to eating. "You know, we're gonna have to work harder on our spearing. We both have advantages and disadvantages in our styles. I'll bet if we can come up with some kind of hybrid of the two styles, we could be unstoppable, both at that competition and in battle."

Forde moved his food around on his plate.

Kyle looked back up at him. "Forde."

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?" Kyle asked.

Forde was silent for a moment, still pushing his food from side to side on his plate. "Mm hm."

"Forde," Kyle said.

No response.

"Forde!" he said a little more sternly to get him to look at him.

Forde did just that.

"Forde, what's the matter with you?" Kyle asked.

Forde smiled, but it wasn't his usual smile. There was something so fake about it. "Nothing." He looked at his plate again. "This stuff is really terrible today. I don't feel so good."

Kyle frowned. "It's not so bad." He looked Forde over. "But you do look a little pale. Let me take you back to our quarters." He stood and helped Forde to his feet.

Forde felt fine. (Do I really look pale?) he thought. "I can get there on my own. I just need to lie down for a minute. That's all."

Kyle put Forde's arm over his shoulder, then he put his arm around his waist to support him. "Come on. I'll help you."

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--quarters...

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Kyle helped Forde onto his bed.

"I can take care of myself," Forde told Kyle.

"Be quiet and let me help you," Kyle said. "Man, and you call ME stubborn. Learn to accept a little help now and then." He started taking Forde's armor off for him.

Forde just watched him, looking confused the whole time. His face reddened a little. "Why are you doing this?"

"What? Undressing you? Because you can't wear your armor in bed," Kyle told him. He got on his knees and started untying Forde's boots.

Forde reddened even more as he kept his eyes on what Kyle was doing. "No. Why are you doing this for me?"

"We're friends, Forde. Friends help each other out," Kyle told him, concentrating on his task at hand. He smiled a little. "Besides, I don't like to see you like this. It weirds me out. So, I'll do all I can to make you feel better."

Forde smiled a little as well and kept watching as Kyle took his boots off.

"That and if something were to happen to you, I won't have anyone to train with," Kyle added.

"Ah, now the truth comes out," Forde said.

Kyle stood Forde up and pulled back the covers. "Get in."

Forde obeyed and Kyle pulled the covers up on him.

"I have three people I can consider friends. That's our king, Lute and you, Forde," Kyle told him.

Forde frowned when Kyle mentioned Lute, but he wasn't sure why.

"I just happen to be around you the most, so I guess that makes you my best friend," Kyle went on. "But don't go telling everybody that I'm doing and saying things like this or I'll be laughed at."

Forde rolled his eyes. "Hey, why don't you just leave the joking to me. That's my job."

"That wasn't a joke, Forde. Besides, you're not doing your job very well right now, anyway," Kyle said. "Now, get some sleep. And that's an order."

"As you command, Sir Kyle, commander of the Knights of Renais," Forde said sarcastically.

"Not again," Kyle groaned. He walked out of the room.

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_To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 2_

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--next day...

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Forde had slept through the night and when he awoke, he found Kyle sleeping in a chair next to his bed. (So, he was really worried about me? That's kinda...nice,) he thought. Evil was tugging at his pony tail. Evil told him that he should milk this for all it was worth. He wasn't really sick in the first place, but he could use Kyle's concern to keep from doing all those things he didn't feel the need to do. Like training with Kyle and going on those restoration missions King Ephraim was handing down these days. Was it right? Of course not. But... (Kyle thought I wouldn't find a way to get out of doing work. Ha!) He jumped back under his covers and decided to get a little more shut eye until Kyle awoke...

Kyle yawned and uncrossed his arms. He'd been up all night watching over Forde and had no idea when he'd fallen asleep. He knew there was no reason to watch over him, but it seemed like the right thing to do. He had asked Lute to look into finding a healing specialist. They'd had three back when they were at war, but Moulder went back to Frelia to continue his work there, Natasha had gone to Jehanna to live with Joshua, and L'Arachel was back in Rausten continuing her crusades against evil with her ever-faithful companions, Dozla and Rennac. Lute could have done the job if she had put more of her time into studying healing magic, but maybe Artur had put some time into learning that particular craft.

If Forde wasn't feeling better today, Kyle would know what to do. He stood and stretched before tapping Forde lightly. "Wake up."

Forde rolled over and looked at Kyle with a pitiful expression on his face.

"How are you feeling, Forde?" Kyle asked.

"Worse than yesterday," Forde grumbled.

Kyle frowned. "Hm. I didn't think it would get worse. Do you need anything? I put some water beside your bed." He sat on the bed beside Forde and helped him sit up a little. He kept his arm around him to help balance, then he picked up the cup of water and let him drink a little. Once he was finished, he put the cup down and lowered Forde back down to the bed again. "I was hoping we'd have a chance to train a little and continue our painting lessons today, but you're in no shape for that. You're gonna need your rest."

(Yeah. It's like a forced vacation,) Forde thought. He coughed a little for added effect.

"I don't understand how you could get sick all of a sudden like that," Kyle said. "You were fine when we sparred."

Forde pulled the covers up tight around himself and shivered a bit. "I don't understand it either. It had to be something I ate," he said weakly. The whole time he was laughing in his mind.

"Well, I've got someone looking into bringing in a healer for you," Kyle told him. "You'll be fine in no time. All I have to do is go talk to Lute." He stood.

Forde gasped and his eyes got wide. There was that feeling again. "No. No, Kyle. Don't leave me." He reached out and grabbed a hold Kyle's hand. "Please, don't go." In a way, Forde couldn't be too sure if this was an act anymore. "Please." He looked up at him with sad eyes.

Kyle looked at Forde strangely. "Alright. I'll stay." He sat back down and when he saw that Forde still had a hold of his hand, he shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea whether he should pull away or not. His friend was sick. He had to do what he could to comfort him. But there was something really strange about the whole thing.

Franz had made his way into the room and he looked at them for a long time.

When Forde noticed that Franz was there, he quickly let go of Kyle's hand and Kyle jumped to his feet.

There was a long, deafening silence.

"H-hi, Forde. H-hi, Kyle," Franz said a little uneasily. He raised his eyebrows and his eyes got huge. "Uhhhh..."

"Hey, Franz," Forde said with the same expression his little brother had.

Franz looked away. "I didn't mean to interrupt--"

"No, you weren't interrupting anything. As a matter of fact, I was just going to talk to Lute," Kyle said. He couldn't even say anything else. He just walked out of the room.

Franz remained wide-eyed. "Forde? What was that?"

Forde still had the same expression as well. "I..."

"Were you two holding hands?" Franz asked.

(_Were_ we holding hands? NO!) Forde thought. He tried to laugh it off. "Don't let your imagination play tricks on you, little brother. Besides, why would Kyle and I be holding hands?"

"I guess you're right," Franz said. "I just thought that maybe you were like General Seth."

Forde looked a little confused. "'Like General Seth'?"

"Yes. How he and Cormag are," Franz told his brother.

"'How he and Cormag are'?" Forde asked, looking even more confused.

Franz covered his mouth. "I shouldn't say anything if he hasn't told you himself."

"What _about_ Seth and Cormag?" Forde questioned. His little brother was getting at something and it seemed to be old news. At least to him.

"What are you doing in bed, anyway?" Franz asked.

Forde laughed a little. "Well, I'm not feeling at my best, so to speak," he lied. "That's beside the point, however. You know better than to try to change the subject with me. I'm the master. I taught you how to do it. Now, tell me what the big deal is with Seth and Cormag."

"Okay, but I'm only telling you this because you're my brother. You can't tell anyone about this...," Franz declared. He looked around, then looked back at Forde. "They're...courting each other."

Forde had been blindsided. Was this really possible? Could the Renais' Silver Knight and the Wyvern Knight of Grado honestly be 'courting' each other? No. Impossible. It would explain all of Seth's voyages to the kingdom of Grado since the great war, but there was no way that was possible. Only 'dandies' courted other men. General Seth was no dandy. And neither was Sir Cormag. It simply was not possible.

Did his little brother really think that he and Kyle...? Impossible.

How had his little brother found out about this? Would Seth tell Franz about such personal encounters?

To break the long silence, Forde cleared his throat. "Like how you're courting Amelia, huh? How's that going, by the way?" He laughed awkwardly.

Franz blushed. "Amelia and I are friends. We're rivals."

"Yes, and eventually she'll be having my nieces and nephews," Forde said with a grin.

"Forde!" Franz gasped, turning redder.

Forde laughed out loud.

Kyle came back with Lute and Artur. He folded his arms across his chest when he saw Forde laughing at his little brother. "Forde! You said you were sick!"

Forde stopped laughing. (Busted,) he thought. He pulled his covers up to his eyes and smiled behind them.

"I stayed awake all night watching over you because you said you were sick," Kyle said.

Franz raised his eyebrows at that statement.

"You never were sick, were you?" Kyle asked. "Not yesterday and not this morning." He marched over to the bed, grabbed Forde by the shoulders and started shaking him.

Forde laughed as he was being shaken.

Artur put one of his hands over his own eyes.

"I suppose it is possible that a miracle occurred," Lute suggested.

"That was no miracle. That was this art-loving slug-about trying to pull the wool over my eyes," Kyle said, still shaking Forde.

"Care-ful. Y-ou're gon-na sh-ake m-y bra-ins ou-t," Forde told Kyle in a chopped up voice.

"You deserve it for what you did to me," Kyle said. He stopped shaking Forde and let him fall back onto the bed. Then he looked at Lute and Artur. "I'm sorry for interrupting you on this fine morning."

Artur smiled. "It's quite alright, Sir Kyle."

Lute even had a small smile on her face. "This has been a thoroughly entertaining experience already. It is so rare that we all spend time together. Maybe we should do so, considering we have found ourselves all in the same vicinity."

Franz sighed. "I'd love to spend time with all of you, but I have something planned for today. Maybe we can all plan something for another time. I'd hate to miss out on this."

"Yes, of course. We should get everyone involved. We could send invitations to our friends in the other kingdoms. We could make it a celebration," Forde said. "I do like celebrations."

"Why don't you just go ahead and make it _your_ celebration, Lute, Artur?" Kyle said.

Franz and Forde both gave the same confused look.

Artur blushed and looked at Lute.

"Of course. That is a spectacular idea. I am surprised that with my advanced--" Lute began.

Artur walked up behind her and put his hand over her mouth. "It's a great idea, Sir Kyle. We will send out invitations and get everything for the wedding set up." He removed his hand from Lute's mouth.

"Wedding?" both Forde and Franz asked.

"Artur and I shall wed," Lute informed. "We have kept it a secret long enough. It is time to share our most splendid union with all of our friends."

"Wow. Congratulations," Franz said.

(That must have been what she was talking to Kyle about yesterday,) Forde thought. "Yes, congratulations indeed. You two have always been an extremely...eccentric pair."

"Thank you," Lute said to Forde.

Artur sighed. "We should get the help together and begin preparations." He took Lute's hand. "It may not be as grandiose as King Ephraim and Queen Tana's wedding, but it will still be a celebration for Renais to remember." He and his bride-to-be left.

"I knew they were together, but I had no idea they were getting married," Franz said.

Forde's mind had drifted to what Franz told him earlier.

"I only found out yesterday myself," Kyle told Franz. He looked at Forde. "I haven't forgotten about you, Forde. You made me look like a fool."

Franz raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I think I'll be going now. Good luck, Forde."

"Some brother you are!" Forde shouted as Franz left the room. He looked at Kyle and smiled. "You know, I told you that I didn't need your help."

"Then why did you say that you were sick when you weren't?" Kyle asked, taking a seat in the chair beside Forde's bed.

Forde frowned. "I don't know. I had this weird feeling. I did feel kinda sick, I guess. But not the kind of sickness that staves can heal."

Kyle just looked at him, a little confused.

Forde's mind instantly went back to what Franz said about Cormag and Seth. He tried to shake the thought, but it wouldn't go away. It caused him to blush uncontrollably and he tried to shake that off as well, but it was to no avail. "We should train."

Kyle leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees. "It can wait."

(_WHAT_! _Kyle_ putting off _training_?) Forde thought.

"Tell me about this sickness you had," Kyle said, looking at Forde strangely.

"Why?" Forde asked.

Kyle furrowed his brow and thought for a minute. "Well, because I don't like it when you're like that, Forde. And to be honest, I don't like it when you're like this either. Because you're like a brother to me. And because we work together."

Forde looked confused this time. "Well, I can't explain it. It was weird." The same thought crossed his mind and he closed his eyes in hopes that it would go away. "Come on. I don't wanna talk about this anymore." He got out of bed and stretched. "Let's go train."

Kyle shook his head. "If you're opting for training instead of sitting around, then there's more to this than I thought. You are going to talk to me right now, so you may as well sit down." He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

Forde flopped back down onto the bed and sighed heavily. "Fine." He shrugged. "Yesterday, I felt like I was losing someone close to me when I saw you talking to Lute."

"Forde..., what is it really?" Kyle said. "Tell me the truth."

"I _am_ telling you the truth," Forde told him. "I don't know _why_ I felt that way. I just did." After a long pause, he laughed a little. "You know, you're the only person who ever really gets me to talk about my feelings. It's weird."

"It seems like you're still leaving a lot out," Kyle stated, trying to keep Forde on track. "There's something going on with you lately. You've been strangely serious."

"Well, what about you? You haven't really been yourself lately either. Since when do you care about anything besides fighting and training? Why would you want to learn to paint?" Forde asked, looking toward the door. The thought of the accusation his brother made of him and Kyle was still plaguing him. He couldn't shake it for the life of him.

"I don't know," Kyle replied. "It seems like a calming pastime. And I guess I wanted to understand a little more about you."

Forde quickly looked back at Kyle. "Why?" he asked, sounding utterly confounded.

Kyle shrugged and looked away. "It seems like the right thing to do. You and I always seem to be around each other for one reason or another. We fight side by side all the time. We pretty much grew up together. We may as well get to know a little more about one another."

"I guess you're right," Forde said a little more enthusiastically. "So why don't you tell me about yourself? What do you do besides all of this swordplay?"

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "You've been to my quarters. It's everywhere."

"What? Those figurines?" Forde asked. He chuckled quietly at first, but it soon escalated into a full-blown laugh.

Kyle reddened furiously. "Forde. What's so funny?"

"You _collect_ those?" Forde asked, still laughing. "I thought they were just little trinkets from all the girls you've saved throughout your life."

Kyle frowned. "The first ones were. Then I started collecting them myself."

Forde continued to chuckle. "You know, if you were a dandy, I would have thought you would want to make yourself up prettier."

"What? Like you?" Kyle asked, with a smirk.

Forde stopped laughing. "Hey, that's not funny. I'm no dandy."

"So, stop calling me one," Kyle said, getting back serious.

They were both silent for a while.

Forde thought for a moment. "Did you just call me pretty?"

"No," Kyle replied quickly. He looked toward the door. "You know, training doesn't sound like a half bad idea."

"Yeah. Right," Forde agreed.

----------------

--training grounds...

----------------

Forde beat Kyle outside this time. He was just taking a stroll around the training yard with his practice spear in hand. He looked about the area and smiled to himself at the beauty that was returning to their kingdom. Everything was so much more colorful now. He always believed that the land should look this way. And even though it always seemed as though he had no interest in the condition of their kingdom, he really did. So, in all honesty, he liked to put on an act to keep Kyle on his toes, just as he had told him.

His ever-present smile broadened even more at the sight before him now. He had rounded one of the corners and there was his little brother kissing Amelia. They looked cute because they both wore armor, so they were very clumsy as they tried to touch each other a little.

Forde had always made a habit of keeping some charcoal and paper handy for just such an occasion. They would never spot him from his position, so he sat and began to sketch the scene quickly. It was coming out well, even though he was hurrying along.

As he was putting the finishing touches on his drawing, he saw a shadow looming over him. When he looked straight up, he saw Kyle standing directly above him. He was looking down at him angrily.

"Forde. Have you been here this whole time? I was looking for you. Why are you hiding here?" Kyle asked.

"Shh!" Forde hissed. He pointed at his picture, then at Franz and Amelia, who were talking and making out.

Kyle laughed under his breath. "Come on." He grabbed Forde by the ear and started dragging him to the other end of the training ground.

"Hey, cut that out. That hurts," Forde whined as he was bullied along. He pulled away from Kyle once they were out of Franz and Amelia's private space and he protected his reddened ear from further damage. "That wasn't even called for."

"Oh, quit your complaining," Kyle said. "We've got work to do. I was talking to King Ephraim. He wants to put together a small party to travel to Grado and lend a hand. They're a little behind with their restorations, so he wants to send some volunteers to help out there. I think we should go. We'll be there for a while, so it'll give us an opportunity to train with people who have a different approach to fighting. Duessel and Cormag to be exact. I've seen them fight. It's like they're on a totally different wavelength than warriors from Renais."

"Seems you've already got your mind made up," Forde said.

"That's right, so don't you dare say no," Kyle told him. "You owe me."

"Owe you? For what?" Forde questioned.

"For all the grief you put me through yesterday AND this morning," Kyle told him.

"Grief?" Forde asked.

Kyle folded his arms across his chest. "Don't play dumb with me, Forde. I watched over you all night for a sickness that wasn't even a sickness."

Forde looked away and smiled. "Riiiiiiiiiiight. I forgot about that."

"Uh, huh. Forgot about that, did you?" Kyle said. "King Ephraim wants our party ready to go immediately. We'll depart soon."

Forde sighed. "Fine, Kyle. I'll go." He whipped out a silly grin. "You could have just told me that you'd miss me if you went without me."

Kyle looked up at the sky. "Forde..."

----------------

--ready, set, go...

----------------

They would ride on horseback to the kingdom of Grado. They were provided with all the supplies and funds they would need for the trip. Kyle had to admit that he was a little disappointed by the turn out. Was there no one who wished to assist in the restoration of a kingdom that wasn't their own?

"Boy, when King Ephraim said that he wanted a _small_ party to depart for Grado, he wasn't kidding," Forde pointed out as he looked around at the people who were making the trip to Grado.

Their party included Forde, Kyle and Seth.

"I mean, what difference will three people make in the restoration of an entire kingdom?" Forde went on.

Kyle looked at Forde. "Well, if it does nothing else, it will lift the people's spirits to see that they have support."

Forde smiled and shook his head. "You've always got an answer for everything."

"Actually, there's one more joining us," Seth told him. He pointed toward the Renais castle gates.

Another rider came up on a horse as well. It was Neimi, the resident archer turned ranger. She smiled shyly as she rode up to them. "Sorry I'm late."

"No need to apologize. We're just glad you could make it," Seth told her. He looked at everyone. "We ride."

They started out on their journey to Grado. If they traveled all day and night, they would make it there by noon of the following day. But Seth had suggested that they camp out that night and postpone their arrival in order to give their horses a break.

"You know, Neimi," Forde began as they rode across the plains. "I'm a little surprised to see that you're leaving without Colm by your side."

Neimi frowned a little. "Colm and I broke up." Tears started to fill her eyes.

Forde raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry. I had no idea."

Kyle shook his head and looked at Forde. "Leave it to you to make the poor girl cry. We've barely even made it beyond the castle walls and you're already being insensitive." He rode his horse closer to Neimi's and did his best to comfort her.

Forde frowned. "How was I supposed to know? Stop making me out to be the bad guy all the time, okay?" He folded his arms across his chest and pouted a little as he watched them.

Seth simply smiled at Forde's reaction.

----------------

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: Thanks for the reviews. You're too kind. Please enjoy this chapter and please review.

----------------

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 3_

----------------

--forest...

----------------

Seth had decided they would make camp in a grassy area in the woods. They would save money this way. It was likely that they would need to hold onto all the funds they could for their stay in the Grado inn for the duration of their mission.

It looked as though it might rain soon, so the shelter of the trees would help keep them dry. They had two tents amongst them and since Neimi was the only girl, Seth resolved that she would have a tent to herself. She insisted that her tent be set up very near theirs, however. She so disliked the idea of being alone.

Kyle was under the impression that he and Forde should go and gather wood while Seth stayed with Neimi. The two could set up camp while he and Forde were gone. And Seth agreed.

So Kyle had his way and Forde was stuck doing the work that he so hated to do.

"There are trees everywhere. Why don't we just knock one down and take it back?" Forde asked.

Kyle was a little more than irritated with Forde at the moment. Never mind the fact that Kyle's whole day started out badly due to his lack of sleep from the previous night. He was past that now. He was upset because of this journey so far. Forde had started out the journey by making Neimi cry. It took Kyle hours to get her calmed down. Forde then proceeded to pout for several hours and he would speak to no one except Seth, who wasn't the talkative type to begin with, but he talked to him anyway. After that, Neimi decided that she should try to talk to Forde, which worked out just fine except for the fact that she seemed to be not so much talking as flirting. He'd even started drawing while they were riding and showed her the things he drew. This got under Kyle's skin because Forde should have known better than to flirt back with someone who'd just gotten out of a relationship. When Kyle tried to talk to Forde about how unchivalrous it was of him to take advantage of her that way, Forde just told him to buzz off, peeving Kyle off even more. Finally, Seth started talking to Neimi, and Kyle decided that he would lay into Forde. They argued all the way up to this moment.

And even as they walked through the forest, they argued still.

"Do you know how long it would take to chop down a tree with a sword?" Kyle questioned.

"Two swords," Forde reminded him foolishly.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "We have to find trees that are already down."

"And suppose we don't. We could look all day and never find trees that are just lying on the ground," Forde pretty much whined. "Come on. I just wanna go back to camp."

"What? So you can smooth-talk your way into Neimi's tent?" Kyle asked. He frowned. "Some knight you are."

"Look, I already told you that I was just being nice. She needed to feel better about herself and now she does," Forde told him. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at Kyle out of the corner of his eye. "Besides, I didn't say anything to you when you were all close to her and comforting her. So don't worry. I'm not trying to steal her away from you."

"Steal her away from me?" Kyle asked. "I was simply comforting her after your insensitive words."

"Insensitive...? I already said that I was sorry for that. I didn't know. Get off my back," Forde said with a grin. "Besides, I can't help it if she decided that she wanted to flirt with me a little. I'm an attractive guy. I can't control that. So don't be jealous that she chose me over you, oh perfect gentleman and valiant knight who's always nice to the ladies."

"You're being ridiculous," Kyle said. "Besides, I have no interest in courting Neimi."

An unusually blank stare came across Forde's face.

Kyle looked at Forde strangely for a while. He had to wonder if Forde was still inside his head for a minute there.

"Wait. We're going to Grado, aren't we?" Forde asked out of nowhere.

Kyle looked at him even more strangely. "Yes, but what--?"

Forde smiled and snapped his fingers as though he'd just made a great discovery. "Of course! It's only natural that General Seth is leading this expedition."

"Forde, are you okay?" Kyle asked.

"Huh?" Forde said.

Kyle frowned.

It seemed Forde had fallen into a bit of a stupor.

"Forde," Kyle said. He walked over in front of him, put his hands on his shoulders and shook him. "Forde!"

Forde looked at Kyle. "What?" He raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"

"It's hard keeping your attention, you know that?" Kyle told him, his hands still on his shoulders. "Why don't you tell me what was going through your head just now?"

Forde's eyes widened. "Oh, nothing."

"You know, normally I'd believe that," Kyle said.

"Hey!"

"I see I'll have to be right in your face to have your attention from now on. What were you saying about General Seth?" Kyle questioned.

Forde looked away. "About General Seth?"

Kyle leaned into Forde's line of sight. "Yes. About General Seth. You said something about him leading this expedition."

Forde tried to look away again, but Kyle kept moving into his line of sight. "I was just saying that every time there's a voyage to Grado, General Seth leads it."

Kyle noticed that Forde's face was quickly starting to change colors. He found it funny to see him this way. "General Seth leads the majority of our missions." Kyle smiled a little. "What's this about? _You_ want to lead a mission, don't you?"

Forde looked a little confused.

Kyle let Forde go and his expression was serious again. "You know, if you want to lead a mission, you have to start taking things more seriously. You can't slack off. As you can see, I've lead my share of missions. As a matter of fact, whenever Seth isn't around, I'm usually the one who takes command."

"Let's just...get some firewood, okay?" Forde said.

"That's the way," Kyle told him with a nod.

----------------

--back at camp...

----------------

Kyle and Forde were making their way back to camp with their firewood. And they were arguing, as always.

"I told you that forests have to replenish themselves from time to time. That is why you'll always find that some trees have fallen in the woods. It's always like that. Especially in thick parts of a forest," Kyle told Forde.

Forde rolled his eyes. "Yes, Sir Has-an-Answer-for-Everything. You just know it all and you like to shove it in my face just because I have no interest in it." He sighed. "You know, you're the one who volunteered me to come with you. I could have stayed and set up camp and you could have taken Seth with you."

Seth laughed to himself.

"Right. And by the time Seth and I would have returned, you would have been asleep and Neimi would have had to set up camp by herself," Kyle said.

"Well, we wouldn't know if that's true or not, since you're always dragging me along everywhere you go," Forde argued.

"I do that so you won't get in anyone else's way," Kyle told him plainly.

"Listen, if you just admit that you like having me around, I'll forget this whole incident," Forde said.

Seth whispered something to Neimi and she giggled quietly.

"Like having you around?" Kyle asked. "You're like a plague." He put his lumber down and brushed off his hands. "You're lazy and you're incompetent and I have to do everything for you."

Forde frowned and put his firewood down as well. "Well, you're stubborn and you're uptight and you're no fun to be around."

"Hmph. Where'd _you_ learn a word like 'stubborn'?" Kyle asked.

Forde laughed sarcastically. "It's a little late to be developing a sense of humor, don't you think?"

"Alright. Alright. I'm not gonna be able to sleep with this going on all night," Seth said to the two bickering gentlemen. "You two have been around each other for way too long. It's time I did something about this myself." He seemed very serious, but then again, it was hard to tell when he wasn't. "Kyle, you'll stay with Neimi tonight. And for the duration of this mission, I'm keeping you two apart." He gave Neimi a look.

Neimi nodded to Seth.

Kyle was a little surprised that Seth insisted on separating them, but maybe it was for the best. Yet, for some reason, it seemed an unfair sentence. He and Forde argued a lot, but this was a bit of an extreme punishment.

Forde even looked a little disappointed by the decision.

----------------

--morning...

----------------

In the early morning, just before sunrise, there came the very distant sound of feminine screams, masculine laughs and whinnying horses. Forde was the first to wake from his slumber. Whoever these people may be, they were a long way off from the sound of it, but it definitely sounded like trouble.

Forde thought that it would be a good idea to look into what was going on. There was no need to wake his sleeping companions, so he walked his horse along toward the sounds until he was sure he would not wake his fellow knights. He hopped up on his steed and quickly made his way to a path in the woods where four rapscallions had stopped a coach that seemed to be traveling through.

Inside the carriage were a mature woman and a younger woman who held an infant in her arms. The poor ladies were frightened out of their wits as two of the knaves took the liberty of killing their horses. One of the knaves was going through the women's money pouches, while the last was making his way into the coach with the innocents.

Forde saw that all but one carried iron swords and he was glad that he had brought along his silver sword. The other, the one who was about to get in the carriage carried a Killing Edge, most likely pilfered from some poor, unsuspecting myrmidon. And most likely, he was the leader of the outfit. Forde rode in closer and made a graceful dismount from his equine means of conveyance, nonchalantly holding his hand close to the hilt of his sword as he strolled toward the brutes. "Excuse me," he said with his usual smile as he casually made his way over to the group.

That got everyone's attention. Even the women who were being attacked. The rapscallion who was about to get into the carriage stepped down and pulled out his Killing Edge. "Aye, yoonstah. Ye woo'do well tah be gooin' aboot yer bizzies," their assumed leader said, brandishing his weapon. Translation: "Hey, youngster. You would do well to be going about your business."

His two horse-slaughtering pals moved behind him while the purse grabber went back to scrounging what he could. They, too, brandished their iron.

Forde simply stood before them with his hand still inconspicuously near his sword hilt. "Well, I don't mean to intrude, but these ladies don't seem to be doing you any harm." He looked at the dead horses and frowned a little. "I would ask you to let them go in peace, but they wouldn't get very far in a coach with no horses--"

Without warning, the shorter rapscallion in the back swung his blade at Forde's head, but Forde was able to draw his silver sword so quickly that he easily blocked the attack. The ladies in the carriage were audibly impressed by Forde's swiftness. He smirked a little.

This caused the fourth thief to emerge, drawing his iron sword as well.

Forde forced his attacker away and held up his free hand. "I have no intention of fighting. I'm simply here to ask you to leave these women alone."

"Aye, we'le'em aloon, soo loon'as ye've goot soompthan' be'ah tah pu'on tha ooferin' bloock," the money grabber said as he walked over. Translation: "Yeah, we'll leave them alone, so long as you've got something better to put on the offering block."

"Aye, give us all o' your gold and we won't kill you," the tallest and better spoken of them said.

The ladies in the carriage cowered and the baby started crying.

"Well, if that's the case, you've already got all my gold. I don't have any," Forde told them.

The shortest thief growled. "'e's a loiah, 'e es! Daze oin'a knoigh' en ooll'a Megvel'a' oin' goo'a begg'a gool' o'em." Translation: "He's a liar, he is! There ain't a knight in all of Magvel that ain't got a bag of gold on him."

"Wha--?" Forde asked, totally confused by the awful dialect. As soon as he said that, another iron sword was swung at him. He couldn't tell exactly where it had come from, but he dodged it. The tallest thief tried to cut him across the chest plate, but he blocked it with his sword, knocking the iron sword out of the tallest fighter's hands and up in the air. He had to fight off the leader and the money hungry one with his silver sword as the airborne iron sword came falling back down, blade first.

Forde moved out of the way a bit and blocked the Killing Edge that was intended to split his skull in half with his silver sword. He then caught the iron sword by the hilt as it was about to stick in the ground and blocked the low blow that the shortest fighter had attempted to strike. Forde hopped back from his assailants for a short breather.

The money hungry rapscallion came running at him and swung down with all his might. Forde parried easily and stepped on the blunted side of the sword, sinking it into the ground and creating a pole-vault that sent the attacker flying. The two unarmed fellows were in awe and ran off as Forde continued to fight the shortest rapscallion and their leader.

The ladies inside the carriage cheered for Forde, distracting him a bit. The leader and his companion lunged at Forde at the same time. He blocked the smaller man's sword with the iron sword he had acquired and tried to move out of the way of the leader's blow. The Killing Edge pierced the side of Forde's armor and cut his side. He winched and rolled out of the way to wipe away sweat and hair that was now getting in his eyes. He couldn't feel the cut, but he knew it was there because he felt the blood running down his side.

When his vision started to blur a bit, he smiled to himself. "One little hit. Is that all you've got?" He hopped to his feet, tossed the iron sword aside and twirled his silver sword in a display of skill and stamina, though he lacked the latter of the two at the moment. The shorter of them dropped his sword and ran off after his other two companions.

Before Forde had a chance to run at the last remaining thief, a hail of stones went flying at his opponent. Forde looked over to see that the women had gotten out of their carriage and were now throwing rocks at the leader of the group of thieves, driving him away as well.

Forde smiled at the women as he sheathed his silver sword. "Well done, ladies," he told them, a little out of breath.

"We should be saying that to you, young gentleman," the elder of the women said, curtsying to him. "What is your name, stranger?"

"I am Sir Forde, Knight of Renais," he introduced.

"Please, mother. Allow this man to sit. He has been injured," the younger woman said, holding her baby close. "Sir Knight, my name is Elisabetha from the kingdom of Grado. This is my mother, Lucia. And this is my son, Daron."

Lucia helped Forde into their carriage. "Sir Forde, my daughter and I were on our way home when these evil men attacked us. Had it not been for your courage, we would have surely been--"

"No need to thank me, Madam," Forde told her. "It is my duty as a knight." He frowned a little. (I sound like Kyle,) he thought. He was about to laugh, but he winced from the new found pain in his side. He was definitely cut.

"Quiet now, Sir Forde," Lucia said. "Elisabetha, tend to his wound as best you can. Sir Forde, if you do not mind, we must use your horse to pull this carriage in order to ride to Grado. We can take better care of you there."

"Wait. I have friends who are camping not far from here. We're all headed to Grado and they have more horses to help pull your carriage along," Forde told them. He pointed toward their camp. "That way," he said weakly.

----------------

--back at camp...

----------------

Day was finally dawning and Kyle was the first to wake. Or so he thought. He would go off and train a little in the forest before the others rose. Just as he was about to begin his exercises, he noticed a carriage headed his direction that was being pulled by a strangely familiar horse.

"Wait. Stop," a familiar voice from inside the carriage called.

Kyle tried his best to look inside. (That sounded just like Forde,) he thought.

Forde indeed stuck his head out of the side of the carriage. He was shirtless and his complexion was pasty.

Kyle greeted the ladies politely, but when he looked at his friend, he frowned. "Forde, what are you doing?"

Forde smiled at Kyle. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see that face. For a second there I thought we were lost."

A young woman inside the carriage giggled a little.

Forde raised his eyebrows and looked at Kyle.

Kyle could feel himself becoming quite frustrated for some reason. "Forde, what is going on?"

"Oh, you must be Sir Forde's friend, Sir Kyle," the elder of the two ladies and driver of the carriage said. "Sir Forde has told us so much about you."

Kyle frowned even more.

"You see, had it not been for Sir Forde, we would have been robbed, raped and killed in these very woods," the younger woman told Kyle with a smile. She put her hand on Forde's shoulder. "He risked his life to save us. He fought off 4 armed thieves."

Kyle looked surprised.

"It was nothing, really," Forde said modestly.

Kyle moved so he could get a better look inside the carriage and saw a small blanket that was wrapped around Forde's waist. The thing was soaked in blood. "Forde, are you alright?" He walked over to the carriage so he could take a closer look at his friend. He took notice of an infant sleeping inside as well.

Forde laughed a little and winched a bit. "I'm fine. It's nothing that a little R&R can't fix."

"We were heading to Grado so that he could receive proper care for his injury," the elder of the two women told Kyle.

Kyle nodded. "Very well. We should travel to Grado quickly."

----------------

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 4_

----------------

--Grado Inn...

----------------

Seth, Kyle and Neimi thanked the ladies for helping them with Forde. And the women made sure to thank Forde before leaving him in the hands of the group from Renais once again.

Forde was lying in bed surrounded by his fellow knights.

"Forde, you've proven to be a valiant knight. I've always seen your skills as a fighter and I've seen your cunning and agility during war. But today I've seen something that probably no one else has seen from you. You truly have the heart of a knight. And I am more than proud to fight beside you," Seth told Forde.

Neimi smiled down at him. "Yeah. You're always so busy cheering people up that I guess sometimes we forget that you're a soldier. And that you fight to protect people who can't protect themselves."

"Come on. Let's not make too much of a big deal about this. It was only 4 guys. Besides, any of you would have done the same," Forde said.

Kyle folded his arms across his chest. "That's right. Let's not make a big deal about it," he said to the others. He looked at Forde. "You could have been killed today, Forde. What if those simple thugs would have been assassins? What if that knave who cut your side would have run you through instead?"

Forde laughed a little and put a hand to his injured side. "You worry too much. I mean, what-ifs will get you into more trouble than anything."

"That's enough, you two," Seth said. "It's time to get down to business. Grado still doesn't have an appointed king. She is ruled by a council of the kingdom's finest clergymen and knights right now. I shall go to them with a message from King Ephraim. A message stating that the kingdom of Renais sends her warmest regards and we soldiers will assist in the restoration of the kingdom of Grado in any way we can." He looked at Kyle and Neimi. "I want you two to take care of Forde while I'm gone."

Kyle and Neimi both nodded.

Seth looked at only Neimi this time. "Please make sure they don't kill each other while I'm away."

"Yes, sir, General Seth," Neimi said.

Seth looked at Forde. "Don't give these two a hard time."

Forde grinned his usual grin. "Sure thing, General."

Seth shook his head and left.

Neimi frowned. "I wanted to cook for everyone before we started with our mission."

"Cook?" Forde asked with an even bigger smile on his face. "That sounds great. I'm starving."

Neimi smiled. "Well, I can just cook for you two, then."

Kyle nodded to Neimi. "That would be wonderful, Neimi. Thank you so much. We haven't had anything to eat today. Especially since dingus here ran off and nearly got himself killed."

Forde rolled his eyes.

Neimi smiled at Kyle. "You're only making a big fuss about it because you care about him. You don't have to be so negative, though. Just tell him how you feel." With that, she bounced cheerfully out of the room.

Kyle just watched her leave.

Forde raised his eyebrows and was silent for a moment. After neither of them spoke for a while, Forde looked around and said, "Well, she's doing much better today."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Kyle said quickly. "You know, it was really irresponsible of you to get injured on this mission--"

"What would you have preferred? That I step aside and let a bunch of hooligans have their way with a couple of innocent women and a baby?" Forde asked. "You're the one who's always telling me to take things more seriously when it comes to doing my job. And it's my job to help those in need."

Kyle frowned. "You picked a great time to start listening to what I say," he said sarcastically.

Forde looked away. "Why is it that I can never seem to get any kind of approval from you? Anyone else would receive your highest praise for doing something like that, but when I do it, it's like committing the ultimate sin--"

"I don't want you going out and getting yourself killed, Forde!" Kyle told him. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair to help him think. "Are you seeking my approval?"

Forde looked at him strangely. "Seeking...? No."

"You just said that you could never get any approval from me," Kyle said.

"Well, I just meant that...," Forde began. (Am I seeking his approval? No. Why would I be?) he asked himself. He frowned. "Lives were at stake. I saved those lives. That's what's important."

"Don't get me wrong, Forde. I'm glad that those people's lives were saved. I really am. But if it would have been at the cost of your own, I...," Kyle said. (I don't know what I'd do,) he thought. He frowned and sat in a nearby chair.

Forde just looked at Kyle for a while. "Risking our lives is what we do for a living. You know that better than I do." He raised his eyebrows. "I don't try to stop _you_ when _you're_ running off to save the day. I swear, you treat me like a three-year-old."

Kyle laughed a little. "Well, if you didn't have the mentality of a three-year-old, you wouldn't be treated like one." He stood and grabbed some clean bandages. "You're probably bleeding through by now. Let's get those bandages changed." He pulled back Forde's covers and looked at the blood-soaked bandages.

Seeing the injury reminded Kyle of war. He remembered fighting beside Forde on the field. Though Forde was a bit of a clown, the enemy was no joking matter to him. Kyle had seen his friend shift from being a footloose jester to being a ruthless fighter. He knew Forde was skilled. He had beaten Kyle in almost every competition they'd ever held in Renais, though he was quite lazy. That was why he couldn't understand what made Forde such a great fighter. Forde never took anything seriously. Kyle never saw him training. He always seemed to be sleeping. And when he did train, he always seemed to be holding something back. Why was Forde so much better than he?

Forde was, of course, still shirtless. He sat up and frowned as Kyle started removing his old bandages from around his waist. The pain in his side was almost nauseating, but he remained silent.

"Hold up your arms," Kyle told Forde.

Though Forde wanted to make some sort of snide comment, he obeyed. It was almost as if he couldn't open his mouth to speak. Something was stopping him. He flinched a little from lifting his arms too high.

Once Kyle got down to the last layer of bandages, he peeled them away carefully. He heard Forde inhale sharply as the bandage was being pulled off. Once he was done with that, Kyle left for a moment to get a wet cloth to tidy up Forde's cut a little.

Forde silently watched Kyle. He was used to Kyle being quite brutal in battle and even when they trained together, so the way he treated his injury now was almost contradictory. There was something about Kyle's closeness that disturbed him, however. He wasn't really sure why. He just felt that something about the whole situation was...odd. And then, he thought back to what his little brother had said to him only yesterday. About courting another man... Forde scampered back from Kyle in the middle of having his injury cleaned.

"What? Did I hurt you?" Kyle asked.

Forde looked around the room. "No. Listen, I'll...I'll handle the rest." He reached for the bandage.

Kyle frowned. "What's the matter with you, Forde?" He wouldn't let him take the bandage.

As soon as Kyle was about to say something else, Neimi stepped into the room. "Breakfast is served." She looked at the two guys strangely.

Kyle looked at Neimi and smiled. "Ah. Thank you. I'm sure it will be delicious."

Forde tried to quickly take the bandage while Kyle wasn't paying attention, but he stretched too far and his cut reopened. He grunted and looked at his wound.

Both Neimi and Kyle looked at Forde.

"Forde, be still and let me help you," Kyle told him. He wiped away the new blood that ran down Forde's side, then carefully started putting the fresh bandages on.

Forde shifted uncomfortably and took a few deep breaths. He could feel his cheeks begin to burn as Kyle's hands gently brushed across his abs and his sides while he applied the bandages.

"You're gonna have to be still for me to do this, Forde," Kyle said. He sighed and tried to continue, but Forde was just jumpy for some reason.

Neimi giggled a little. "It's really funny how you two are. I heard you arguing all the way in the other room. You're always arguing, but you're always doing nice things for each other." She frowned and looked away. "Somehow it reminds me of when I was with Colm." She started to get teary-eyed.

Forde frowned. "You can't blame it on me this time," he muttered to Kyle.

"Quiet, you," Kyle said to Forde. He finished bandaging Forde, then went over and put his arm around Neimi. "There's no reason to cry, Neimi."

"No. I won't cry. I'm going to be strong from now on," Neimi said, sniffling a little and successfully holding back her tears.

"Well, that's great. Come on. Let's have a taste of that wonderful breakfast you made," Kyle said.

Forde watched them leave the room together and frowned again. (Seeing how we act reminded her of her relationship with Colm. I wonder why that is...,) he thought. He followed.

----------------

--later that day...

----------------

Seth spoke with the council of the Grado kingdom and recruited a few more people for their restoration party. If they all worked together for the extent of their stay they would have no trouble at all getting a lot of work done. Every man in town had been hard at work rebuilding the homes that were destroyed during the great war, but bridges were still damaged around the town and a lot of the land needed to be cultivated. Seth's team would work on the bridges today.

But first they had more pressing matters at hand. One of their members was injured. Thankfully, Seth had thought ahead and persuaded a young druid to join them as well. Seth returned with three old friends from the great war. The great knight, Duessel. Wyvern lord, Cormag. And the druid, Knoll.

Thanks to Knoll, Forde was healed, aside from a minor bruise and scar tissue left from the cut on his side. And that would surely heal with time. He was now fit to work alongside his friends. This, as anyone could imagine, disappointed Forde. He thought that he was off the hook for the duration of their journey. How wrong he was.

They now had seven healthy members and were currently working on one of the largest and most important bridges in town.

They had split into a group of four, which consisted of Duessel, Neimi, Knoll and Forde, and a group of three, consisting of Seth, Cormag and Kyle. The first group would work on one end while the others worked on the other side. Seth had insisted on setting up the groups this way for two reasons. One was so that there would be three strong workers on one end. Since Neimi and Knoll weren't as strong as the others, they could make up for it by being in a larger group with other strong members. His second reason for dividing them up that way was so that Forde and Kyle could be separated. That would keep down the arguments.

"I must admit, I'm a little surprised to see that a young lady decided to join in on the restorations," Duessel said to Neimi. He held a plank of wood in place while Neimi and Knoll hammered away. "Even in Grado, there are very few, if any, women who extend a hand to rebuild. It makes me proud to see such dedication."

Neimi smiled up at him. "Well, I'm just here on behalf of Renais. King Ephraim asked if there were any soldiers who wanted to help with the restorations in Grado. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I couldn't find some way to lend a hand."

"You have spirit," Knoll told Neimi. "Knights shouldn't be the only ones who put this land back together. Everyone should help out when they can..."

As they continued to talk, Forde was sitting on the part of the bridge that was already up. They were too busy holding their conversation to care about what he was doing anyway. He was currently working on a drawing. He felt that he had captured the surroundings impeccably in the drawing he'd done before the one he was working on now. The previous was a sketch of the bridge in progress and the restored buildings in the surrounding area.

But now for some reason he was just sketching Kyle. There was something about the expression on his face that just made him want to do a portrait. Their group was pretty far away, but Forde could make out Kyle's expression perfectly, though he wasn't sure what had caused it. It made him wonder exactly what had happened to make him look like that.

----------------

--the three...

----------------

Their group was working systematically. Kyle dug the holes, Seth held the posts in place and Cormag packed the holes so that the posts would stand upright. It was a flawless operation. They'd been going at it for some time and had made a lot of progress.

"You're the more mature one," Seth said as he carried his post over and stuck it in the hole Kyle had recently dug. "You should know when to put a stop to all those arguments you two always seem to have."

Cormag was silent, which was no surprise. He wasn't a very talkative person. Seth wasn't chatty either, but Cormag was even less talkative than Seth.

Kyle looked astounded. He couldn't believe that Seth was basically blaming all of the arguments that he and Forde had on him. "General--"

"Please. We all agreed to use no titles," Seth told him.

Kyle sighed. "Seth, you have no idea how much Forde can get under your skin. You'd have to spend more time with him to understand."

Seth laughed a little. "I know what you mean. I've held a good deal of conversations with him before. I've seen the way he does things. He's just a little different than the rest of us. He's less cut-and-dried. And he likes to do things his own way. Which is probably why I see him out training after dark sometimes."

Kyle looked completely baffled. (Training after dark? Forde?) he thought. He frowned and went on digging the hole he was working on.

"That's something you didn't know about him, isn't it?" Seth asked. "I could tell by your expression." He shook his post to make sure it was securely in place, then turned to Kyle. "He has to train at some point. How do you think he keeps improving? He works hard while no one else is around." He shrugged. "Not many people know that he does that. He never talks about it. He seems to prefer staying upbeat. It helps other people relax."

Cormag put his shovel over his shoulder and smirked as he walked past them to pick up their canteen.

Kyle frowned. "Well, I don't claim to know everything about him. I mean, why should I?"

"I'm just saying that you give him a hard time like you _do_ know everything about him," Seth said. "And the way you were going off on him about saving those girls and that baby this morning was really uncalled for."

"He could have gotten himself killed," Kyle told him.

"Sounds like he was doing his job to me," Cormag interposed. He put the canteen down and went back to packing the post they'd been working on.

"It was four against one!" Kyle said to both of them.

Seth looked at Kyle strangely. "The odds were always stacked against our whole party in times of war. What was so bad about that one incident?"

Kyle shrugged. "In war, there's always someone around who can help you out if you become overwhelmed."

Cormag chuckled as he kept working. "In other words, you're saying that you were upset because you weren't there to save him?"

Kyle became flushed and flustered.

----------------

--Duessel, Neimi, Knoll and Forde...

----------------

Their side of the bridge was being put together a little slower than the other three, but they were still making progress. Especially considering they were working with only three people. While Neimi, Duessel and Knoll were hard at work on rebuilding the bridge, Forde was hard at work trying to capture the peculiar expression Kyle had on his face. He could easily see it, though their group was quite a distance away, but drawing it was something altogether different.

"What are you up here doing?" Neimi asked from behind him. She had crawled up onto the bridge and was now sitting behind Forde.

Forde nearly jumped out of his skin. "Y-you can't sneak up on people like that," he said, clutching his chest plate.

"Sorry." Neimi looked at the sketch Forde was working on. "Wow. That's really good. It's better than the ones you showed me on the way here. Of course, we were moving when you drew them. I guess it would be easier to draw when sitting still." She smiled. "I love your drawings. It's almost like they have a life of their own. The landscapes and the one of Kyle you drew."

"Um, thanks. I just try to capture something within the picture. I can't really explain it," Forde told her. He smiled at her. "The weird thing is that I don't draw people as often as I used to."

"Yeah," Neimi said. "You drew mostly landscapes on our way here, but when you decided that you'd draw a person, you did Kyle, and you're doing him again now." She tilted her head to the side. "Why is that?"

Forde looked back at the drawing. "I...hadn't noticed... Maybe it's because he's so funny-looking."

Neimi looked at Forde and giggled. "That's cute."

Forde looked back at Neimi, confused. "What?"

"You're blushing," Neimi said. She too looked a little confused. "Do you like Kyle?"

----------------

_To be continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

a/n: Wow, thanks for the reviews. It came as a bit of a surprise that this many people liked the Forde/Kyle pairing, yet no one had written about them. I thought I was a weirdo for liking that pair. I personally like strange pairings. Unfortunately, I haven't played FE9 yet. I also haven't played any of the other FEs. Blasphemy! So FE8 is the only one I can write on until I find out more about the others.

a/n: I would like to personally thank the wonderful individual who let me know about the typos and confusion I've been causing some readers. Much appreciated. I'll try to look out for those more and will attempt to make them less confusing in the future. Hopefully those changes will make things a little better for all of you. Anyway, I'm glad you all enjoy the story so far. Keep on reading and keep on reviewing. And with that said, on with the show.

----------------

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 5_

----------------

--Duessel, Neimi, Knoll and Forde...

----------------

"You drew mostly landscapes on our way here, but when you decided that you'd draw a person, you did Kyle, and you're doing him again now," Neimi said, tilting her head to the side. "Why is that?"

Forde looked back at the drawing. "I...hadn't noticed... Maybe it's because he's so funny-looking."

Neimi looked at Forde and giggled. "That's cute."

Forde looked back at Neimi, confused. "What?"

"You're blushing," Neimi said. She, too, looked a little confused. "Do you like Kyle?"

Forde had no idea that he was blushing before, but now he was fully aware of how his face burned with embarrassment. "Wh-what makes you ask something like that?"

Neimi raised her eyebrows. "I mean, I just couldn't help noticing how weird you two are. It's just a question. I didn't mean anything by it." She smiled a little. "So, do you like him or what?"

Forde tried to laugh it off. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Just because I draw Kyle a lot doesn't mean that I...like him." He rolled his eyes and laughed again. "It just means that that person has...challenging features." (Yeah, that's it,) Forde thought. (That has to be it. It's the only rational explanation.) "As an artist, I appreciate people like him. He looks different and I like to draw him." He let that blank stare take over.

"Oh. Well, I don't know much about painters. I guess it makes sense," Neimi said. "People like to challenge themselves sometimes." She looked at Forde strangely. "But you have to admit that you two are still weird together." She frowned when she couldn't seem to get a response from him. "Forde?"

(Men courting other men? How absurd,) Forde thought. (That's for dandies. Except Cormag and Seth... And I doubt that's even true. I just don't see it. I...) For some reason, he thought back to the way he felt when Kyle's hand brushed across his skin.

Neimi took Forde's hand and smiled. "Come on. Knoll and Duessel sent me to look for you. I wasn't supposed to stay up here with you. I was supposed to bring you down so we can go ahead and finish this bridge before midday."

Forde looked at her.

"Come on," Neimi told him. She started pulling him to the end of the partial bridge so they could hop back down into the trench.

----------------

--Seth, Cormag and Kyle...

----------------

"Forde's like my brother. I have to look out for him. I mean, he can be pretty reckless," Kyle explained. He went on to another spot and started digging a new hole. "And I'm the only person who's willing to take care of him."

Seth laughed again as he hauled over another pole and placed it in the hole Kyle had recently dug. "Be honest with yourself about this one thing. Forde can take care of himself. He's just as skilled a fighter as you, if not better."

"So what? You don't give a two-year-old prodigy the keys to a kingdom," Kyle told Seth. "And you don't send a brain-dead super soldier out to fend for himself."

"Brain-dead? That's kinda harsh, don't you think?" Seth asked him.

"Cold," Cormag added.

Kyle shrugged. "Well, with the way he behaves sometimes, he may as well be."

"I see what you were talking about," Cormag commented to Seth. "He's way too stubborn to even see it." Once Seth was done adjusting the post, he started filling the hole.

Seth looked at Cormag. "Just like you were."

"Hm," Cormag said with a smirk.

Kyle was completely befuddled.

"Let me tell you a story, Kyle...," Seth began.

----------------

--later that night, back at the inn...

----------------

Everyone was exhausted. They'd worked on bridges all day long except when they took a break at midday to have lunch. The main bridge took until midday to complete and they worked on 5 smaller ones after lunch. They had a huge dinner at Grado castle with their old Grado war buddies and a few people from the council. It went over relatively well, aside from the fact that Forde couldn't seem to stop yawning. He was even causing a chain reaction with some of the others. And no one could stop Kyle from going on about how rude Forde's behavior was and how he had no self-control.

Once the dinner was over, Seth told the others to return to the inn and get some rest while he wrapped up the day's business with the Grado officials.

It was well after dark when they returned to the inn. Forde retired to the room he and Seth shared while Kyle and Neimi went to their room. Neimi fell asleep immediately, but for Kyle, sleep wouldn't come so easily. His body was weary, but his mind would not allow him to rest.

He wandered around the outside of the inn thinking about the story that Seth and Cormag had relayed to him this morning. (Cormag and Seth are _together_. I never would have guessed something so...unorthodox,) he thought. They had told him that _he_ had those kinds of feelings for _Forde_. (I don't think so. I know how I feel about Forde. He's like my brother.) At first he frowned, but soon he stopped walking around the building and sighed. "I guess I could take it a little easier on him sometimes. Seth _did_ have a point about that," he muttered to himself.

He noticed something moving off in the distance. A man with a lance had come out of the inn and was heading out of town. It was too dark to tell who it was, but Kyle had a feeling he knew. He quickly stalked the figure that was heading toward the woods just outside of town. Once he got close enough, the figure stopped and drew his weapon without turning around. Kyle could see by the dim moonlight that the figure had a ponytail. This was indeed the person he presumed it was.

"It's true, then," Kyle said to the figure. "The ever-elusive Forde trains at night."

"It's you, Kyle." Forde put away his lance and turned to Kyle. "How did you know I train at night?"

"Seth said that he saw you sometimes when you trained at night in Renais," Kyle told him.

"What are you doing out here? I usually tuck you in not long after sundown for your beauty rest," Forde said jokingly with a small smirk on his face.

Kyle sighed. "Well, you're full of questions. I couldn't sleep." He walked over to Forde. "Why do you train at night?"

A wider smile crept up on Forde's face. "Simple. It's the same reason you're out here tonight. I train on nights when I can't sleep. It just so happens that it's almost every night."

Kyle frowned. "But we've been doing work all day, Forde. How could you not be tired after all that?"

"Hmmmmmmm," Forde said. "Maybe I should be asking you why you can't sleep. You usually sleep pretty soundly at night. This is a part of _my_ usual schedule."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "When did you get so smart?"

Forde laughed a little. "This is my time of day. I'm wittier at night."

Kyle folded his arms across his chest. "I'll keep that in mind." Even as he said it, he realized that it didn't sound right. He sighed again. "Well, since we're both out here, why not train together?"

Forde stopped laughing. "You never answered my question. Why are you still awake...? Is something wrong?"

Kyle looked away. "I've got a lot on my mind, that's all. You know, new surroundings." He pulled out his sword. "Come on, Forde. You've even got the advantage. This is your time of day _and_ you're using a lance up against my sword." He walked on toward the woods.

Forde watched Kyle leave and then slowly followed.

----------------

--in the nearby forest...

----------------

It didn't take long for Forde to beat Kyle during their spar. Kyle was outmatched weapon-wise, but he'd put up a good fight.

Forde was having a hard time concentrating on the fight, however. He was thinking about what Neimi had asked him this morning. It was like the question had been branded to his brain and he couldn't get it out of his mind. Once they finished their match, he stared blankly at his lance and frowned. (Could I actually like him and not know it? I mean, I haven't even seen a girl I like in a long time. No! I like girls. Not guys. And definitely not _Kyle_ of all people.)

"Forde," Kyle said, trying to get his attention.

(Even if I were a dandy, he'd be the farthest person from my mind,) Forde thought.

"Forde!" Kyle shouted. He put his hands on Forde's shoulders and shook him.

Forde blinked and looked at Kyle for a long time. "Hm?" He looked away a little.

"Forde, are you alright?" Kyle asked, moving into his line of sight, even though it was pretty dark out, aside from the dim light of the moon.

Forde blushed and thanked the divinities that Kyle couldn't see it. "I'm fine. Just...stop calling my name all the time." It seemed to be something Kyle had made a habit of ever since he'd known him, though he only brought it to his attention now. Something about it just really bothered Forde tonight.

Kyle looked a little confused. "Huh? What? Where did that come from?"

"I'm just saying that you don't have to say my name every time you talk to me," Forde said, looking away again. "It's like, every two minutes, I hear you say my name."

"That's the only way I can keep your attention, Forde," Kyle said, moving into his line of sight once again. "And half the time _that_ doesn't even work."

"You just did it again. You don't have to call me out by name all the time," Forde told him.

"Well, would you prefer that I stay this close to you every time I try to say something to you? Because this seems to be the only way you'll pay attention to me," Kyle said with a smirk.

"I don't think so." Forde laughed a little and put his forehead on Kyle's. "We may as well walk around like this, if that's the case." He stopped laughing, but kept his forehead on Kyle's.

Kyle, too, lost his smile.

Neither of them moved for a long time...

Forde laughed uncomfortably and backed away from Kyle. (That was weird,) he thought, looking away and raising his eyebrows.

Kyle cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Um, we should head back." He sheathed his sword and nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah. We should head back," Forde repeated. He put away his lance and started walking.

"Forde," Kyle called to him.

"Hm?" Forde asked, turning to face him.

"Wrong direction," Kyle said.

Forde laughed goofily. "Of course, it is. I was just checking to see if _you_ knew the way back." He walked back over to Kyle. "Uh, so, go ahead. Lead the way."

Kyle laughed heartily. (He really is brain-dead,) he thought. Of course, he meant it in the kindest and most brotherly of ways.

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--next day...

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Forde watched Kyle as he helped Neimi with breakfast. They seemed to be the best of friends these days. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and pouted a bit.

"Is there something wrong?" Seth asked Forde.

Forde looked at Seth and raised his eyebrows. "Hm? Oh, nothing. Nothing's wrong."

"You know, I couldn't help noticing that you've been distracted ever since this we set out on this trip," Seth said. "If there's something bothering you, it wouldn't hurt to talk about it." He looked at Kyle and Neimi, then back at Forde. "It _is_ an uncomfortable subject, after all."

Forde looked at Seth. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Seth sighed. "You must see it by now. It's so painfully obvious." He started walking back toward their room.

Forde looked confused. "Huh? Wait." He followed Seth. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me tell you a story...," Seth started.

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--cooking with Neimi...

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"You're a really good cook," Kyle said to Neimi. "I've seen you do a lot of things. You're an excellent bowman and you're surprisingly good at swordplay. It's great that you're multi-talented like that. And I think everyone here loves your cooking."

Neimi smiled. "Wow. You really think so?" She frowned a little. "Colm loves my cooking too. One time he told me that my cooking was second only to my beauty. And he wasn't being snide or sarcastic. I never thought I would hear him say something like that, but it really made me happy when he did." She sniffled.

Kyle put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't mean to pry, but I can't help wondering what could cause you two to break up."

"He told me that I cry too much," Neimi said. The tears started to flow from her eyes.

Kyle frowned. "But he always tells you that."

Neimi sniffled and continued to cry. "I know."

Kyle gave Neimi a handkerchief. "Yet he's always there when you need him, isn't he?"

"Uh huh," Neimi said between sobs.

"And you're always there when he needs you, right?" Kyle asked.

Neimi blew her nose. "Uh huh."

"Then once you get back to Renais, you should give it another chance," Kyle told her. "If you ask me, you're one of those couples who should always be together. You're always there to protect each other and you compliment each other so well. You help him to get in touch with his feelings and he gives you a sense of security."

Neimi smiled. "You're right. I'll do it." She cleaned herself up so she could continue cooking. "You give good, sound relationship advice. You should think about taking your own advice."

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "Taking my own advice? What do you mean?"

"Well, you have someone who's like that with you," Neimi told him. "You take care of him all the time and you worry about--"

Kyle turned away from her. "You're talking about Forde, aren't you? Why is that the subject of this trip? It's like everyone's trying to get us together or something." He laughed a little and turned back to Neimi. "What? Is it the fashionable thing to do these days? For a man to court another man?"

Neimi shrugged. "Well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you don't love Forde."

Strangely enough, that statement brought about the strangest feeling in Kyle's chest. "We're...brothers," was all he could say.

"Oh, okay," Neimi said with a smile. She went on cooking.

It was easy for her to drop the subject. Kyle wanted the subject to be dropped, but it tugged at him. It was hard to forget that they'd just been talking about something like that when he truly couldn't be sure how he felt. He knew one thing. His heart was beating viciously against his chest, as though it wanted to be set free.

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--Seth and Forde's room...

----------------

(So, it's true. Seth and Cormag really are 'courting' each other,) Forde thought. (Nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth to drive the last nail in the coffin, I guess.)

"I see the same things happening with you and Kyle," Seth told Forde. "Unfortunately, if you want anything to become of it, _you'll_ have to be the one to make all the moves. Kyle's just as stubborn as Cormag. Actually, I think Cormag's even more stubborn than Kyle. But you two have something that Cormag and I didn't. You've known each other all your lives."

"But I-I never said that I was i-interested in Kyle," Forde stammered.

Seth smiled. "You don't have to say it. It's written all over your face." He folded his arms across his chest and was serious again. "You can't keep trying to hide it behind all your smiles and jokes."

Forde's face reddened and he looked away. He thought back to what happened last night and frowned. He definitely felt _something_ when he was so close to his friend, but he didn't know what it was.

"Or maybe you'd be okay with it if he ran off with Neimi instead," Seth added. He already knew that wasn't going to happen, but it would at least get Forde's wheels turning. He paused briefly. "I'll tell you something, you'd better be the one who makes a move, because he sure won't."

Forde furrowed his brow and blushed deeper. "I... Well, what if he doesn't...?"

Seth chuckled a little. "So, you've accepted that you have feelings for him. That means you're halfway there."

Forde frowned. (I can't believe this,) he thought.

"And now you're wondering if he has the same feelings for you," Seth went on.

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_To be continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

a/n: Hello again! Thanks to the ever-helpful "Grammar Nazi," I just found out that the stuff I'm typing doesn't quite coincide with what's being displayed on the site. I knew I was a little bad off when it came to things like that, but I didn't think I was _that_ bad. Anyway, I had to go back and reformulate the presentation of my ideas on this particular medium. In other words, this chapter will look a little different from the ones I've previously submitted. Hopefully, it's for the better. Sorry for any inconvenience.

a/n: _Here's a little back-info about this story_: It was actually just supposed to be a one shot. It changed on me as I was writing the first part. The first part and the majority of the second part were together until I realized that it wasn't coming to an end any time soon. (I can't be sure if that's a good or a bad thing, but according to the reviews I've been getting, I'd like to think that it's safe to assume it was a good thing.)

a/n: _A tid-bit about this chapter_: I completely rewrote this chapter several, several times. That's why it's so late coming out. You'll probably end up wondering whether this was really the best that I could come up with. It's a little weird, probably completely out of character, and a little different than previous chapters. Anyway, on to the story.

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_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 6_

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The Renais party of four and the Grado party of three worked hard for many days. They had rebuilt bridges, helped construct new homes, planted saplings in some of the areas where forests were destroyed, helped farmers with their crops, and a horde of other beneficial deeds around the kingdom. Grado was still behind on their restorations, but at least things were coming along.

Every morning Neimi would cook breakfast for the Renais troops at the inn. The group would meet up with Knoll, Cormag and Duessel, and then set out for a long, hard day's work. In the evening, the seven would make their way to Grado Castle to finish off the day with a late dinner. And once they were done there, the four Renais soldiers would return to the inn.

Things were a little strange between Kyle and Forde after their first days in town. They were very uncomfortable around each other after everyone kept asking them about their 'relationship'. Forde had been surprisingly quiet about the whole thing. As a matter of fact, for one whole day of the trip, he had been almost completely silent. Very unlike him. Kyle, on the other hand, would find clever ways to talk around the problem.

They had purposefully been avoiding each other, aside from the usual arguments about respect, chivalry and manners. Yet, it was altogether strange that Forde had been, for the most part, agreeable when it came to their arguments.

However, things went back to normal before either of them knew it. Well, as normal as normal could be for these two.

"Why is it that on our last day in Grado, on our day off, I'm washing clothes first thing in the morning?" Forde asked. He was knee-deep in water in a nearby pond with a washboard in one hand and a pair of pants in the other. Today, instead of wearing armor, he was dressed in plain clothes and his hair was all down. The blond locks kept falling in his eyes no matter how many times he pushed them behind his ears.

Kyle, too, was knee-deep in water. He held a washboard and a shirt, and he wore plain clothes as well. "We're _both_ out here because _you_ decided all of a sudden that you wanted to spar in the middle of town while we were on break yesterday." He didn't look happy at all.

Forde chuckled under his breath and pushed his hair behind his ears yet again. "Oh, right."

"'Oh, right' is right," Kyle said.

"Well, you gotta admit, it was pretty fun," Forde added.

"I don't know what possessed _you_ to want to spar out of nowhere, but yes," Kyle told him, a small smile breaking through. "It was fun until we knocked over that vegetable stand and General Seth found out." He sighed and shrugged. "I can't believe I let you talk me into that."

"You never could turn down a challenge," Forde said, pulling all of his hair back and letting it fall again.

"I guess that's why I'm always around you," Kyle told Forde, looking up from his washboard.

Forde looked at Kyle. "Of course. I'm one of the few knights who could actually beat you in a sparring match."

Kyle shook his head. "It's more than just that, Forde." He went back to washing clothes. "I have to admit, it's a real challenge to even endure your presence sometimes."

Forde frowned. "Hm. Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? It's kinda hard to tell." He went back to scrubbing as well.

"It's a little of both, really," Kyle said.

Forde moved his hair behind his ears for the millionth time, and then went back to work. "Well, it's not like you're the easiest person to be around either." Forde's mind drifted back to what Seth had talked to him about several days ago:

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_"And now you're wondering if he has the same feelings for you," Seth had said. "Well, there's really only one way you can find out for sure. With a personality like Kyle's, just asking him won't work. He's too proud for something like that. You'll have to find a way to break through that. Now, even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell you exactly how to go about doing it. I'm not really sure how Kyle would respond under certain circumstances. And just because something may have worked with Cormag doesn't mean the same method would work with Kyle. They're two totally different people..._

_"You and Kyle are close," Seth had added. "Even if he doesn't feel the way you feel, which I have the utmost confidence that he does, you'll still be friends. Unfortunately, the only way for you to find out how he feels is to get on level ground with him and then force those feelings out."_

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('Level ground'?) Forde thought. He stared blankly at the washboard in his hand. (What did he mean by 'level ground'? 'Get on level ground with him'? I don't even know where to begin.)

"Forde, have you been listening to anything I've said?" Kyle asked, still washing clothes.

(Could he be talking about how tall we are? No! That's silly. Besides, we're pretty much the same height anyway...,) Forde thought. He sighed. (This is so complicated. Why did I have to have these strange feelings for someone I shouldn't even have these kinds of feelings for? I mean, what if I'm not even feeling what I think I feel?) As he was about to push his hair behind his ears yet again, he felt as though someone were watching him. He froze and looked up to see Kyle staring at him. "Hm?"

Kyle smirked a little. "I didn't even have to do anything to get your attention this time."

Forde rolled his eyes and went on pushing his hair behind his ears.

Kyle frowned. "Have you been listening to me at all?"

Forde averted his eyes because Kyle wouldn't stop looking at him. He ran his fingers through his hair to get the strays out of his eyes. "Listening?"

"Stop doing that," Kyle said.

"Doing what?" Forde asked. He looked back at Kyle.

Kyle went back to washing clothes. "Leave your hair alone. It's distracting for you to keep playing at it like that."

Forde raised an eyebrow. "Mm?"

"I can't concentrate when all I see is you playing with your hair," Kyle told him without looking back at him.

Forde laughed a little. "The great Kyle has to _concentrate_ to wash clothes?"

"Well, I... Shut up. No, I don't have to concentrate to wash clothes," Kyle said.

"So, what does it matter that I 'play with my hair', as you put it?" Forde questioned. "It's _my_ hair."

Kyle frowned and kept his eyes on his washboard. "I'm just saying that it's a distraction."

"Is it turning you on?" Forde murmured quickly, but loudly enough for Kyle to half hear. He blushed. Before they came to Grado, he would have jokingly made those kinds of accusations daily.

And Kyle had indeed heard. His face turned a deep shade of red and looked up at Forde. "What did you just say?"

"I said, 'Is it...truly that wrong?'" Forde lied. He looked away and his eyes became the size of melons. Then he turned back to Kyle with a smile. "Uh, what were you saying earlier about me not listening?"

Kyle cleared his throat. "Oh. I was saying that I do like having you around. Just like you said before, you keep me on my toes. And no matter how annoyed I get with you, I wouldn't change anything about the way we are."

Forde was a little overwhelmed that Kyle would openly talk about their friendship in a setting like this. Usually when Kyle said something about it, he was taking care of one of his injuries or looking after him when he was sick. In actuality, he didn't expect Kyle to express his feelings at all. Forde smiled to himself. He felt like he was getting closer to him.

Kyle frowned. "Actually, I think I said it better the first time I said it, but you weren't listening."

Forde frowned as well. (Wait. If he doesn't want to change the way we are, then he wants nothing to do with me outside of friendship,) he thought. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. (Which is the way things are supposed to be between two men anyway. I was stupid to think there could be more between us.) Slowly, a sad smile graced his face. (Well, at least things can go back to the way they were before all of this Grado nonsense...)

Kyle reached over and grabbed the pair of pants Forde had been holding the whole time. "This is the last of the clothes, you know." He scrubbed away.

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--outside Grado inn...

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The group of seven stood outside the inn during midmorning on their last day in Grado. Everyone had on plain clothes and they all had their own personal means of transportation. Everyone rode a horse except Cormag, who'd chosen to travel upon his faithful wyvern, Genarog.

"I have a few announcements," Seth said to the group as they mounted their steeds. "It seems that some important events have been taking place in Renais since we've been away. Artur and Lute sent Duessel, Knoll and Cormag invitations to their wedding, which will be held in several days. As a result, they will ride back to Renais with us today."

"Great. The more the merrier," Neimi said with a smile. "I had no idea that Lute and Artur were getting married. And I sure wouldn't have guessed it would be so soon." Her smile disappeared. "I-I love weddings." Her eyes teared up and she sniffled.

Kyle was already by her side, comforting her as Forde just watched them.

Seth tried his best to ignore his three Renais friends. "It's great having you all accompany us on our way back to Renais."

"Thank you for having us," Duessel said.

Cormag nodded to everyone.

"We are glad to join you as we all travel to witness this joyous union," Knoll said.

"King Ephraim also sent word that the wedding would be held, and that we are all invited," Seth went on. "On another topic, as some of you may know, there was a spear competition scheduled to be held in Renais. It seems that the tournament has already been held. King Ephraim judged that Franz was the winner of said competition."

Kyle frowned. "I can't believe the competition was held without us. Well, I'm glad to hear that Franz won."

"Of course, he won. My little brother takes after me. He's a winner in everything he participates in," Forde said.

"Then why is it that you can't seem to win when it comes to physical labor? That's something you participate in, right?" Kyle asked. "You've been nothing but trouble this entire trip."

Seth gave them a 'not again' look, while Cormag smirked and shook his head.

Neimi giggled.

Knoll and Duessel just looked at them.

"Well, it's not like I voluntarily came along. So, technically I wasn't a willing participant," Forde returned with a smile.

"Willing or not, you should put forth the effort in everything you do," Kyle told him. "It is the duty of a knight to go the extra mile no matter what."

Forde raised his eyebrows. "I go the extra mile. It's just usually not in the direction that most people prefer."

Kyle looked at Forde out of the corner of his eye. "You got that right." As soon as he was about to say something else, Seth interrupted.

"Settle down, you two," Seth told them. "Last, but not least, I received word that Queen Tana has returned from Frelia along with King Innes and Queen Eirika. They, too, will be in attendance at the wedding." Seth turned his horse away from the other 6. "That is all of the announcements I have. We ride." He started out on his horse.

Cormag rode by Seth's side and they started talking.

"Good. The sooner we get back to Renais, the more rest I can get," Forde commented.

Kyle was about to say something, but Neimi stopped him. "The more rest we can _all_ get. I'm beat." She smiled.

Everyone followed Cormag and Seth.

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--restless knight...

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The group had four tents, which was convenient because they had seven people. The guys could pair up while the only girl would have a tent to herself. Seth and Cormag would share a tent, of course. Duessel and Knoll were pretty close, so they would be in a tent. And that left Forde and Kyle to share a tent. Surprisingly, Seth didn't bring up the fact that this wouldn't be a good idea due to their constant arguments.

Kyle couldn't sleep, so he sat up in the tent he and Forde shared. His closer encounters with Forde during their time in Grado came flooding back into his mind. He had helped Forde when his side was injured on that first day. He remembered wrapping his arms around Forde so he could put his new bandages on. It had been necessary, but he had no idea that he would recall something so subtle and, at the time he was doing it, so meaningless. His hand had brushed across Forde's stomach and he remembered how he'd tensed at the slight touch.

Kyle's blood unexpectedly began to stir a bit. What a surprise it was for him to feel something like this while thinking of that incident.

But it didn't stop his mind from recalling the events. He thought about the night that he and Forde trained together. The night that Forde put his forehead against his. Kyle thought about how close their eyes were. How close their noses were. How close their lips were. How close their bodies were...

He would have to regain his composure before a certain part of his body became alert. He took deep breaths to try and calm himself. (Why is this happening?) Kyle thought.

"Can't sleep, huh?" Forde whispered from his sleeping bag.

Kyle hadn't even noticed that Forde was awake. Of course, it would have been pretty hard to tell since there was very little light. Kyle couldn't even make out his features. He couldn't tell if Forde's eyes were open or closed. All he could see was his darkened outline against the moonlight that only half shone through the walls of the tent. He knew Forde told him that night time was his time of day, but he didn't think that he would be awake now.

"Forde," was all Kyle could say. He didn't like the way it sounded when he said it. Something about it sounded all wrong. It wasn't his usual strong, stern voice. He'd almost sounded like a child who wanted a new toy. He could feel himself becoming frustrated, yet there was no reason to be.

"Are you alright?" Forde asked him quietly, sitting upright.

He must have noticed the difference in his voice as well. Kyle cleared his throat. "I'm fine." That sounded better. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Nah. I was already awake," Forde said quietly with a sigh. "I've been hearing these weird sounds. I don't quite know what to make of it. Have you been hearing them?"

"Sounds? I haven't heard anything out of the ordinary," Kyle told him silently.

"You probably can't hear it over there. Come over here," Forde whispered.

Kyle rolled his eyes, but crawled closer to Forde. He sat beside him and listened for a moment. "See? Nothing. You're imagining things, Forde."

Forde held up his hand to silence Kyle.

There were soft rustling sounds off in the distance.

"Well, we _are_ in a forest," Kyle whispered. "There are bound to be all kinds of strange sounds out here."

Forde placed his hand over Kyle's mouth so he wouldn't speak. Having his hand there made Kyle realize that it wasn't often that Forde touched him. And it wasn't that bad.

A sound resembling a grunt came next.

"There. You see?" Forde asked, uncovering Kyle's mouth. "That's right here in the camp. What if it's some sort of huge wild animal or something that could kill someone?"

Kyle had barely heard it, but he knew that was no animal. And if he wasn't sure from the last sound he'd heard, his suspicion was confirmed by a sound that could only be described as a stifled moan. "Forde, that wasn't an animal. It was a person."

"Oh?" Forde listened for a while and a louder moan could be heard. He was silent for a moment. "Oh." He looked around. "Where is it coming from?"

Kyle knew where it was coming from. And he knew what it was. The sounds came from the direction of the tent Seth and Cormag shared. They must have thought that everyone in the camp was asleep. Kyle rolled his eyes. "I thought you said that you were wittier at night. Anyway, you don't wanna know. And if we can hear them, they can probably hear us." He doubted that the two knights could hear them. They were too preoccupied. "Let's just get some sleep, alright?"

This was all so very uncomfortable for Kyle. He crawled back over to his sleeping bag and climbed in, but when he got into a comfortable position, he saw Forde's outline right next to him. It startled him. He tried not to show it, even though it was too dark to see anyway.

"It's Cormag and Seth, isn't it?" Forde asked.

Kyle sighed. "Forde, go to sleep. It doesn't concern you." He rolled the other way so he wouldn't have to see Forde on his knees right next to him. He waited for a while, but didn't hear Forde move. "What is it, Forde?"

"Uh, I can't help being a little curious," Forde said. It was he who sounded like a child this time.

Kyle frowned and turned to Forde. He couldn't see what expression was on his face, so he wasn't sure what to think. (What is he suggesting?) Kyle thought. "You...want to see them?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Forde said quietly.

Kyle couldn't help noticing that Forde's outline seemed to slowly be getting closer. He had to blink to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. He could feel himself breathing faster. And the closer Forde seemed to get, the faster Kyle's breathing became. There just didn't seem to be enough air inside the tent all of a sudden. He tried his best to lie still, but Forde's closeness was making him uneasy. "Forde." Once again, he didn't like the sound of his own voice.

At first Forde didn't answer.

"Forde..." Kyle said a little quieter.

Forde stopped not far from his face. "Hm?"

Kyle didn't know what he wanted to say. He really just wanted to catch his breath. For a moment he only looked at Forde's silhouette. "What are you doing over here?" was all he could think to say.

For some reason, Kyle was a little disappointed when Forde backed away. "Well, I think we should talk. I-I can just hear you better from right here, you know," Forde stammered a bit.

"We should both be asleep right now. We have a long day ahead," Kyle said calmly and very quietly. He lay there looking up at Forde, trying to make out an expression, but it was impossible in the darkness.

"I see how it is now," Forde began, sounding a little upset.

Kyle was surprised by the sudden change. He sat up in his sleeping bag and just looked at Forde for a while. "How _is_ it?"

"You don't mind staying up all night if it involves training, but if it involves anything else, you don't wanna hear it," Forde told him. "And _you_ call _me_ selfish?"

(Where is this coming from all of a sudden?) Kyle thought. He knew that it wasn't like Forde to get all emotional out of nowhere like this. As a matter of fact, he usually had to _make_ him do something besides joke around. "Is something wrong, Forde?"

"Why bother asking? It's not like you care anyway," Forde muttered. He pouted.

It stunned Kyle. "How could you think that I don't care after all we've been through together? You know I wouldn't have even asked if I didn't care. Now, what's bothering you?" Forde was silent, so Kyle reached over and put his hands on his shoulders. It seemed like the right thing to do. "Forde, what is it?"

Forde sighed and turned his head to the side, still remaining silent.

Kyle tried to move so he could be in his line of sight, but with both of them being seated, it was a little harder to do. Without even thinking, he placed his hands on Forde's face and made him turn back toward him.

Silence...

Forde grabbed one of Kyle's wrists and rubbed his cheek against his hand.

Had there been enough light in the tent, Forde would have seen his eyes become the size of grapefruits. Kyle could neither speak, nor pull his hand away. He wasn't even sure if he _wanted_ to pull his hand away. The feel of Forde's skin on his somehow seemed inviting and he found himself lightly stroking Forde's other cheek with his free hand.

Kyle quickly pulled his hands away and folded his arms across his chest. He looked away. Something inside him didn't feel right. It didn't feel wrong, but it didn't feel right. Maybe it was something he ate. He cleared his throat. "So, what's wrong?"

"I just... I don't know," Forde said. "I just thought that we should talk...about...stuff that's been going on recently..."

Kyle looked at Forde's dark form, wishing that he could see his eyes. It sure sounded like he was hiding something. He had a feeling like he was hiding something. "Forde, are you hiding something?"

"Maybe this is a bad time to talk," Forde told him. "We should get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead."

Forde was about to turn away when Kyle grabbed him by the arm. "Oh, no you don't, Forde. You were the one who wanted to talk. I wanna hear whatever it is you've got to say."

"Do you really want me to say what I have to say? Because there's no turning back once it's out there," Forde told him.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, but kept a hold of Forde's arm. He didn't like how serious Forde sounded about the whole thing. It was like he was getting ready to commit suicide. But he had to know what was troubling him. "If there's something bothering you, then I want you to tell me what it is."

Forde turned to him. "I can show you better than I can tell you."

Before Kyle had a chance to respond to the strange statement, Forde quickly pressed his lips against his. (Has he lost his mind?) Kyle thought. It had surprised him, but he couldn't pull away. As a matter of fact, without even realizing what he had done, he'd opened his mouth to taste Forde's lips. That was all it took to convince Forde's mouth to open and Kyle kissed him hungrily. He felt Forde pull him close and he couldn't believe how desperately Forde's tongue stroked his own.

The kiss seemed to last for hours, but surprisingly, it was Forde who broke it and they both looked at each other's silhouettes breathlessly.

Kyle was completely embarrassed by the way he'd reacted, even though he wanted to do it again. (Two men aren't supposed to kiss each other. What made him do that? What made him think that I'd even want to be involved in something like that?) he thought. He frowned and without a moment's hesitation, he punched Forde in the face. Immediately after he did it, however, he felt guilty.

"Ou!" Forde said. He shoved Kyle hard. "What was that for?"

He didn't want Forde to be under the impression that he liked the kiss, even though it was painfully obvious that he did. "That was for kissing me. What were you thinking?"

"I'll tell you what I _wasn't_ thinking. I wasn't thinking you'd hit me for doing it," Forde told him. "I tried to drop it, but you kept insisting that I tell you what was wrong." He sighed. "I've got feelings for you. I thought you might have feelings for me. You're giving me mixed signals here."

"_Mixed_ signals?" Kyle asked. He thought he'd just made it pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with him or his kisses.

"Yeah," Forde said. "If you didn't have feelings for me, you could have just pushed me away when I kissed you instead of trying to swallow my tongue for about 5 minutes and then socking me in the jaw. That kinda thing leaves a guy confused, you know."

Kyle's face heated up and he looked away. "Listen, I don't want to talk about this right now, alright? I need some time to think."

"Fine. Then let me give you a little more to think about," Forde said. He leaned in and kissed him again just as passionately as before.

As soon as Kyle started getting pleasure from the kiss, Forde pulled away. That one had been much shorter than the first. He wanted to reach out to Forde so that he could kiss him again and touch him in ways that he'd never even dreamt of touching another man. Instead he watched Forde crawl back to his sleeping bag.

He was pretty sure that visions of Forde would plague his dreams tonight.

----------------

_To be continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

a/n: Oh... Um... Many, many apologies to all of you. It seems that I've been going straight through these chapters and I haven't been thanking my reviewers enough. All of you are wonderful individuals and I thank you for taking the time to submit reviews for this story. Every one of you deserves the utmost praise. If I could, I would send all of you cyber flowers to show my appreciation. But since I can't, I'll just send you the continuation of this story instead.

a/n: Warning: This chapter may seem a little weird.

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_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 7_

----------------

Okay, so it wasn't a good idea to just up and kiss Kyle out of nowhere like that. Well, it wasn't really out of nowhere. He did warn Kyle that what he had to say would be something they couldn't turn back on. And of course, if he knew it would have caused Kyle to react that way, he most definitely wouldn't have done it twice. (But I did it a second time anyway,) Forde thought. He smiled to himself. He had to admit, he really, _really_ enjoyed those kisses no matter how much his jaw still hurt as a result. To tell the truth, he didn't even like the idea of kissing Kyle until he did it. Now, it was all he could think about. Well, it wasn't _all_ he could think about... Whether he had gotten 'on level ground' with Kyle or not was beyond him. He still didn't quite get that.

He thought back to the kiss. Kyle hadn't hesitated to kiss him back. If he remembered right, it was _he_ who pried his mouth open. (Okay, so he didn't pry it open. But he was the first to get tongues involved,) Forde thought. He blushed as he recalled how deeply Kyle had kissed him.

"Are you feeling alright, Forde?" Knoll asked. "You look a little flushed."

Forde quickly blinked back into reality. A first. He was riding atop his horse with the other six members of their party. Kyle, who hadn't spoken to him all morning, was riding ahead with Duessel. Forde could hear him talking about how he'd wanted a chance to spar with Duessel and Cormag while they were in Grado, but that they didn't ever seem to have the time. For some reason, he rode behind them along with Knoll and Neimi. He remembered that Neimi had been saying something about love and asked Knoll about anyone he might be interested in. Knoll didn't seem comfortable talking about such things. Seth and Cormag were riding behind them and Forde could hear them talking of Grado politics and her growing army.

Forde looked at Knoll and shook his head. "I'm fine." He smiled his usual smile. "I'll tell you one thing, though. This little lady is the most love-struck person I've ever seen." He looked at Neimi. "Am I right?"

Neimi tried to hold onto her reins and cover her face at the same time.

Knoll just looked at them.

"It doesn't matter what happens with you two, you're always gonna be crazy about Colm," Forde said. He reached over and put his hand on her head. "Confess."

Neimi removed her hands from her face and looked at Forde with a smile. "You're ri--" She looked at him closely. "What happened to your face?"

Forde blinked. "My face? Oh, the bruise. Well, you know how it is with training. I've gotten more self-inflicted injuries than I can count." He laughed uneasily.

Neimi giggled. "You're so silly."

Knoll laughed a little.

"Well, it's true," Forde told them. "I mean, I don't claim to be perfect. If I were, I wouldn't have to train. There are times when you're gonna injure yourself training." He looked at his armor. They'd all dressed in their traditional armor for their return to the kingdom. "You see all these scars, dents and dings?"

Both Knoll and Neimi moved in for a closer look.

"These aren't from fighting in wars," Forde went on. "Most of them are from falling off my horse."

Neimi giggled again.

Knoll shook his head.

"It's true," Forde said. "Now, I'm pretty good on horseback, but these dints came from something I probably have no business doing, but I don't care. I've been working on a little something I like to call 'Riding High'. I saw this one guy do it when I was really young and it's always stuck with me. I wanted to be able to do something just like that. Let me show you." He slowly positioned himself to standing on his horse's back. "It's easy to do when your horse is just walking. Believe me, it becomes quite a challenge when you're charging full speed ahead."

"That _is_ impressive," Knoll commented.

Neimi gasped and clapped ecstatically.

"Thank you. Thank you," Forde said. He tried to bow, but almost tilted over. "Up!" He balanced himself and laughed like the goof that he was.

Neimi's clapping got everyone else's attention.

"Hey, not bad," Cormag called from behind them.

Seth looked at Forde and raised his eyebrows.

Duessel looked back at them. "He likes being the center of attention, doesn't he?" he asked Kyle.

"What he likes is nearly breaking his neck," Kyle muttered. "Forde! Get down from there!"

Forde heard Kyle call out to him and almost lost his balance again. It was the first thing Kyle had said to him all day and he just had to boss him around. Forde frowned and looked at him. "You're being a real downer, Kyle. I'm just having a little fun."

Kyle groaned loudly. "You've had enough fun. Now, sit down before you hurt yourself."

Forde rolled his eyes. "Fine, _MOM_. Whatever you say." He sat down on his horse and glared at Kyle. "I swear he treats me like I'm three years old," he muttered to himself.

Neimi had heard his comment. "Oh, he's only like that because he cares about you."

Forde sighed. (Yeah. Try convincing _him_ of that,) he thought.

----------------

--later that day...

----------------

"Forde, you're back," Franz called to his brother. He hurried toward Forde before he stepped into his quarters.

Forde was almost dizzy from his lack of sleep during the whole Grado restoration trip. The weight of all his days of staying up for most of the night without napping during the day had come crashing down on him now. He could feel that he was quite close to losing consciousness. He had actually just been standing in his doorway, looking in at his bed for the longest time. "Franz." Once his little brother made it to him, he put his hand on his head. He smiled wearily at him. "Hey, yawn congratulations on winning that spear competition." His blinks were slow and came one right behind the other.

Franz smiled. "Thanks. I'm sure if you were around, you would have blown me away. I really wanted to show you what I'd learned."

"It's alright, Bro. Besides, you take after me. You're bound to be great at anything you do," Forde told him, the same tired smile on his face.

Franz laughed. "Anything, huh? Hey, you could have told me that you were heading to Grado. Amelia and I could have come along. She would have loved being in her homeland again and helping with restorations."

Forde looked confused. "Hm, I didn't yawn think about it...that way. I mean, we...were in such a rush to leave..., there wasn't really...time to yawn go off and...recruit other...," he said very slowly and trailed off.

Franz looked at Forde for a while. "Man, you look like you're about ready to drop."

Forde was about to say something, but instead, he blinked for too long...

----------------

--elsewhere...

----------------

Kyle was standing in the main hall along with the visitors from Frelia and the Grado restoration party, listening to the two regal sets of siblings talk about their countries. King Innes and Queen Eirika had arrived with their most trusted associates, Moulder, Syrene, Vanessa and Gilliam. The king and queen of Frelia would, of course, be staying in the castle with their siblings while King Ephraim arranged for everyone who would attend the wedding to stay at the kingdom's finest inn.

Kyle could barely hear what they were saying due to his current state. His eyelids wanted to seal shut with his every blink. Of course, he tried his best to look alert and he fought off the yawns that threatened to escape. He'd gotten inadequate amounts of rest during the entire Grado assignment. Especially the night before their arrival.

The night before their arrival had been a disaster. A complete disaster. He'd been kissed by a man...and he actually liked it. He frowned. Forde had kissed him so deeply and so...urgently, as though he'd wanted to do it for years. Kyle folded his arms across his chest. (And I kissed him back,) he thought. There was no reason to lie about it. Not to himself anyway. He _had_ kissed Forde. That had brought to the light what everyone had been saying during the whole Grado mission. Forde had even admitted to having feelings for him. So, what kept him from considering that he might have feelings for Forde?

(Because I'm not gonna let someone _else_ decide how _I_ feel,) Kyle thought. Seth had _told_ him that he had those kinds of feelings for Forde. He hadn't asked if he had them. He hadn't suggested that he might have them. He told him straight to his face that he had those feelings. (No one can _tell_ me how _I_ feel.) Just because Seth and Cormag were together didn't mean that he and Forde had to be.

Kyle looked at Seth and Cormag as they stood listening to their rulers. They weren't like what he imagined two men being together would be like. He was always under the impression that men who were lovers would prance about picking flowers and hugging each other all the time. Kyle furrowed his brow. (Why would they be like that? They're Cormag and Seth,) he thought. And yet, he had evidence that they were lovers. They'd told him so to his face _and_ he'd heard them when they were 'together' last night.

That very night was the night he and Forde shared not one, but two kisses. Kyle could practically feel Forde's lips pressed against his. He could feel Forde's arms around him, pulling him close as they both deepened the kiss. He could feel himself getting hot under the collar.

He sighed and looked around for Forde. Kyle hadn't really said anything to him all morning. He wouldn't know what to say even if he did confront him. As his tired eyes combed through the crowd, he sighed yet again. (Now where did he go?) he thought.

Kyle quietly slipped away from the crowd. It was so unlike him to disrespectfully take his leave like that, but they most likely wouldn't miss him. Once out of their presence, he let out the yawn that had been pestering him. He was so tired that he could barely walk in a straight line as he made his way toward the knights' quarters. Why was he looking for Forde, anyway? It wasn't like their group was holding council. It was simply a discussion.

(Forde should be there anyway out of respect. I don't like it when he disappears like that,) Kyle tried to rationalize. Yet, as soon as he reached Forde's room and put his hand on the door, his heart began to race. (What's gotten into you?) he asked himself.

He opened the door and saw Forde lying in bed, still wearing his armor. "Sleeping. I should have known," Kyle murmured. He closed the door and walked over to his bed. He slowly started taking off Forde's armor for him. It was something he'd done at least a million times before, yet for some reason, it felt different. Then again, for some reason, it felt the same.

After he took the armor off, he looked at Forde for a while. Something was there. There was something somewhere within him that kept him by Forde's side all the time. And it wouldn't let him walk away now. He couldn't describe it. It was just holding him there. Maybe it was the fact that he was so sleepy. He sat on Forde's bed to rest a bit. Taking a nap probably wasn't such a bad idea...

----------------

--a little later...

----------------

Forde's eyes opened wide when he saw Kyle lying beside him. (Kyle...?) he thought. Why was Kyle lying next to him? He noticed that Kyle was still wearing his armor, so he sat up and looked at himself. He no longer had on his. (He must have taken it off.) He blushed at the thought.

The least he could do was take Kyle's armor off for him. He slowly started working on the armor and soon realized that his hands were shaking a bit. (Get a grip, Forde. You're just taking his clothes off--his _armor_ off,) he thought. His hands trembled more after his mental slip-up. As he was trying to remove Kyle's chest plate, the green-haired knight's eyes popped open. Forde gasped and removed his hands quickly. "Hey," he greeted with an uncomfortable smile.

Kyle looked at Forde strangely. "Forde, what are you doing in my room?"

"You're in _my_ room," Forde said simply.

Kyle didn't move. He only shifted his eyes to look around the room. His eyes met Forde's for a split second before he abruptly sat up. "Oh... I must have fallen asleep after I took your armor off." He shook his head. "I didn't realize how tired I was."

Forde looked away. "We both were. I don't think either of us got any sleep last night."

Kyle adjusted his armor. "Yeah... Well, I'll see you." He was about to walk out when Forde called to him.

"Hey, Kyle. Speaking of last night...," Forde began. He put his hand to his sore jaw and frowned. (Mixed signals,) he thought.

Kyle turned to Forde and looked at him for a while. "Oh, that." He was referring to the punch to the face he'd given Forde last night. "Let me take a look," he said, referring to Forde's bruise. Kyle walked back over to Forde and leaned in for a closer look at his face.

(He could at least apologize,) Forde thought. He watched as Kyle slowly reached out to touch his injury. Once Kyle's fingertips reached the bruise, Forde winced, even though it didn't hurt much. He didn't need for Kyle to look after him all the time, as though he were a child. Forde had never asked for that treatment. It just happened that way when they were growing up. Forde had always been 'accident prone'--or as some people might say, 'careless'--and Kyle was always there to help him. "I'm not six years old anymore, Kyle. I know how to take care of myself." He tried to turn away.

Kyle frowned. "Yeah, right. _You_ take care of yourself? Just be still so I can see it." He sat on the bed beside Forde so he could get a closer look at the bruise.

Forde did as he was told. At the moment he didn't care about the bruise. Feeling Kyle's fingers brush lightly across his skin sent shivers up and down his spine. He was done trying to deny what he really wanted. He wanted Kyle to be close to him.

"It doesn't look so bad. You'll be fine. Give it three or so days and you won't even know it was there," Kyle told him.

When Kyle removed his hand, Forde frowned. He wanted Kyle to touch him again. He had to find some way to have Kyle's hands on him just one more time before he left the room. He looked around for the answer, but nothing would come to him. He figured that he'd better come up with something fast, or Kyle would be out the door before he even had a chance to look up.

(Of course!) Forde thought. "Well... You're an expert when it comes to injuries. What about this one?" He held up his shirt to reveal the cut he'd received from the band of thieves he'd fought before their arrival in Grado. Forde felt embarrassed about looking for an excuse for Kyle to touch him. For a moment, he thought about backing out, but it was a little too late now.

Kyle cleared his throat. "Yes, well..." At first he hesitated, but then he leaned down for a closer look. "It looks like it's coming along nicely. The bruise looks like it's pretty much gone. All that's really left is this scar here."

If Kyle fell for it, then Forde wouldn't stop him.

Kyle gently placed his fingers on the scar tissue and followed it from just under Forde's ribcage to a little past his side.

Forde gasped silently. He had no idea how sensitive the spot would be. He'd been careful to keep the area protected. The sensation was almost overwhelming. It sent blood coursing through his whole body.

"It must be different when a druid uses staves than when a bishop uses them. It seems to be healing strangely. I've never seen anything like it," Kyle said. He slowly ran his fingers across the scar again.

Forde had to squeeze his eyes shut and bite his lower lip to keep from moaning, but his back arced a little. He could barely hold onto his sanity.

"That doesn't hurt, does it?" Kyle asked.

Forde felt Kyle pull his hand away and he opened his eyes. "No... No, it doesn't hurt," he said in a quiet voice. Forde looked away, blushing deeply.

Kyle looked at him for a long time. "M-maybe I should go," he stammered a bit. He stood and hurried out of Forde's room.

Forde watched Kyle leave and after a while, he laughed to himself. (That's something I've never seen him do before. Run away,) he thought.

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--on the morrow...

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Lute and Artur had gone around asking some of their friends if they would help set things up for their wedding and reception. And who better to do it than some strong and able knights? And who better to have in a room putting up a bunch of wedding decorations than Seth, Cormag, Kyle and Forde...?

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_To be continued..._


	8. Chapter 8

a/n: Thanks again for the reviews. And thanks for the grammar lesson. That whole thing about not typing out the numbers is what I call being lazy because I know what the rule is. There is also another thing I'd like to bring up grammatically, but I can't change it to save my life. I use the word 'alright' a lot, when it's really supposed to be 'all right'. I can't help that. I'd like to do something about it, but I just can't. My mind won't let me.

a/n: Time slips away from me. I haven't been writing as often as I'd like to. I apologize for the long waits on these chapters.

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_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 8_

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--main hall...

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Forde yawned as he sat on one of the sets of stairs in the main hall. Kyle had awoken him before dawn for an early morning training session. When they got out to the training yard, they found Seth and Cormag practicing with their spears. Forde had been sure that Cormag was staying at the inn in town just like the rest of the guests. Maybe Seth had taken him in. Anyway, the two had surprisingly looked rather intent on killing each other--surprising, considering they were 'courting' each other and all. Forde and Kyle had stood off in the distance, watching their masterful maneuvers until Cormag lunged in with an attack that grazed Seth's cheek. Cormag had dropped his spear and walked over to Seth in order to check on his wound. And then Cormag did something that neither of the onlookers thought they would ever see him do. He licked off some of the blood that was running down Seth's cheek. Seth had suddenly and harshly pushed Cormag against a nearby tree. The two bystanders would have thought that Seth planned to kill Cormag with the way he'd forced him against the tree, but instead Seth began assaulting him with rough, deep kisses.

Kyle had turned away, but Forde couldn't. This little scene would have given Forde some sort of idea had it not been so early in the morning. He was having trouble figuring things out.

It took Kyle a while to get his attention. And eventually he and Kyle went on sparring like nothing had happened.

Artur and Lute's arrival in the training yard had gotten everyone's attention. They told them that the castle servants were busy doing everything else in preparation for the wedding, but with the wedding being so early, they wouldn't have time to decorate the main hall before the big day tomorrow. So, the couple was looking for a few good men. And a few good men just happened to be in one place at one time...

"Yes, white and crimson. It is simply fantastic. It was my genius that allowed for such an appropriate choice to be made," Lute said to the men who had 'volunteered' to put up the decorations in the main hall of the castle. "The selection of the color white is quite obvious, but crimson may seem somewhat out-of-the-ordinary. Given that crimson is a variation of the color red, being a bit more modest yet at the same time more intense, I am confident that it will represent precisely--"

Artur walked up behind Lute, put his hand over her mouth and smiled timidly at the gentlemen. "Thank you for doing this for us, guys." He let Lute go and looked at her. "Come, we have other things to attend to."

Kyle, Seth, Cormag and Forde could only look at them.

Lute looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Well..., I intend to attend to such matters. However, having a full understanding of the logic and intelligence behind selecting these wedding colors will assist in the decoration process. Would you not agree?"

Artur thought for a minute. "Would I that I could, I would not. And I would not disagree that I would so agree in disagreement. Agreed?" He raised his eyebrows. He had no idea what he was saying.

Lute was about to respond, but she stopped for a long time to think about what her future husband said.

"Ah. There we are," Artur said. He was proud of himself for having confused Lute for the time being. She was distracted enough to move her along. He looked at the decorators. "Thanks again. I'll get her out of your hair now." He led her out of the main hall.

Cormag smirked. "I do believe young Artur has gotten himself more than just a handful there."

Seth looked at him. "Yes, well, so have I."

Cormag's smile disappeared and he glared at Seth, who simply smiled at him.

"Well, gentlemen. We should get to work," Seth announced to them all. "Cormag and I will work on this side. Kyle, you and Forde can..." He looked around. "Where _is_ Forde?"

Kyle folded his arms across his chest and looked directly at Forde, who was still seated on the stairs. Kyle rolled his eyes. "Forde...," he sighed. He looked at Seth and Cormag. "Now do you see? This is the kind of carelessness I'm forced to deal with day in and day out."

"_Forced_ to deal with?" Seth asked. He looked at Cormag, then back at Kyle. "Alright. You and I can work on this side while Cormag and Forde deal with the other side."

Cormag raised his eyebrows, but when Seth gave him a knowing look, he nodded.

Kyle frowned a little. "Well, okay. Come. It'll be great not to have to worry about _him_ for a while. Let him be someone else's problem for a change." He went over and started picking up decorations. He looked back at Cormag. "Good luck with that one. You're about to find out what a real handful is."

Seth shook his head.

--------

Forde noticed Cormag walking over to him and frowned. He was sure he would be working with Kyle today.

"Come along, Forde. We'll be taking care of this side of the main hall," Cormag told him.

Forde stood. "I thought... Well, I..."

"You thought you'd be working with Kyle, eh? Well, it seems you're always giving him a hard time and he's finally had enough of it," Cormag said with a grin. He walked over to the decorations on their side of the main hall and started rummaging through the box.

Forde followed suit and laughed a little. "He's just so easy." He yawned and rubbed at his eyes. "Did he really say that he'd had enough?"

--------

Kyle and Seth worked wordlessly for a while before Kyle broke the silence. "_He's_ the one who's always giving _me_ a hard time, you know." It seemed to come out of nowhere, but the two had spoken of this before. When they were in Grado, Seth had critiqued the way Kyle treated Forde from time to time.

"You treat him like he's a recruit," Seth told him simply. "If you treat him like he's older, he'll most likely fall in line."

Kyle sighed. "I've tried that. I've tried everything. He's a child and there's nothing I can do to get him to act his age."

"Well, did you ever stop to think that maybe _you're_ not acting _your_ age?" Seth asked.

--------

"Not in so many words, but basically he said it, yeah," Cormag said.

Forde frowned and went on working. Could he be driving Kyle away with his immature behavior? (No, this is something he needs. He can't go around being so serious all the time or else he'll crack,) he thought. He looked at Kyle and Seth. "He might get tired of it sometimes, but we balance each other out," he said with a smile.

"Do you, now?" Cormag asked.

Forde nodded confidently. "I keep him from being so serious all the time and he keeps me from joking around all the time. It's the way we've always worked. It's kinda the reason we became friends actually." He looked back at Cormag.

Cormag only raised his eyebrows.

--------

Kyle feigned a laugh. "I don't act my age? If anything I'm mature for my age."

Seth nodded. "Exactly. That's exactly what I mean. Have you ever been a child? Have you ever had a childhood?"

Kyle thought for a moment. "Of course, I had a childhood..." He thought back to his childhood and how he'd done all of his growing up as a soldier. He thought about how he was always trying to prove something and how he'd always tried to save the day whenever anyone was in trouble.

--------

"I'll never forget the day we first met," Forde began. "Most people can't remember being that young, but I can. Kyle and I were both barely old enough to talk at the time. We were in nursery school and I was playing around with one of the girls there. I think her name was Abby, if I'm not mistaken. She was frightfully strong for a little girl and we would fight with each other. She always used to beat me, but there were no hard feelings. We were kids. What did we care?

"Anyway, one day Abby and I were fighting around with each other and somehow or another, she ended up on the ground with a scraped knee," Forde went on. "And boy, did she bawl. Next thing I know, there's some weird-looking green-haired kid by her side. He comforted her and fixed her up before any of the adults knew what was going on. And the first thing he ever said to me was, 'Forde, you have no scent of cibalry.' That was exactly how he said 'sense of chivalry.' It was cute. Anyhow, I had no idea what he was talking about. I didn't even know how he knew my name. When I asked him how he knew what my name was, he said that he knew everyone's name because everyone was introduced on the first day. A child who remembered everyone's name. Even then, it was impressive how observant he was.

"Abby thought he was the greatest. And I can't say that I wasn't impressed by the way he'd jumped in there and handled things like a grown up would. After that I started paying more attention to him. He didn't have any friends, yet he always went around doing things for people. He never played with anyone," Forde continued. "So, I did what I do best. I went over and cheered up the serious little guy. I told jokes and I pretty much made a fool of myself just so he'd smile. He never did, but the hard lines in his face went away. It was a shame that someone so young would have such a grave look about him. And it made me happy to see him at least a little less angry..."

--------

Kyle looked over at Forde and Cormag, and he watched as Forde seemed to be talking Cormag's ear off. Cormag was listening intently. Somehow, Cormag had gotten Forde to do something besides goof off. Kyle thought that he was the only person who could get Forde to talk that much and still be coherent. Something inside Kyle pulled at him. It was like some force wanted him to go over and see what the two gentlemen were talking about. Or at least what Forde was talking about because all Cormag did was listen.

"You seem distracted, Kyle," Seth said. He took notice of what Kyle was looking at and laughed a bit.

Kyle frowned and turned to Seth. "What?"

"You're jealous," Seth told him. "You're really easy to read. You wear your emotions right out there on your sleeve. Yet, for some reason, it's not so easy for Forde to see."

Kyle turned his back to Seth. "It's not what you think. I'm not jealous. I just never imagined that Forde would talk to someone so openly." He looked over his shoulder at Seth. "If you ask me, you should be the one who's jealous. Look at Cormag."

"Cormag's just like that. He's quiet. He's also a lot nicer than he seems," Seth said. "Don't tell him I told you that, though."

(Then why would you think that I'm jealous?) Kyle thought. He looked back at Forde and Cormag and simply watched them until he couldn't take it any more. He just had to know what was going on. He marched over to them.

Seth could only shake his head and go on with the decorations.

--------

"...I guess nothing's really changed. He's still serious and I'm still, well, me," Forde said. "As for old Abby, I think she ended up moving to Grado. Neither of us has seen her since. But in a way, I guess she kinda got us together."

Cormag looked over Forde's shoulder as Kyle walked up.

Forde turned to see what Cormag was looking at. "Oh, Kyle. I was just telling Cormag about when you and I first met." He smiled. "You were such a cute little kid."

Kyle looked at the ceiling.

"Well, what happened?" Cormag asked.

Kyle just looked at Cormag.

Forde laughed. "You've got jokes. That's something I never would have guessed about you. That was great."

"I thought you'd appreciate that," Cormag told Forde with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Kyle," Forde said. He walked over to Kyle and put his arms around him. He knew he just wanted to be close to Kyle. And the only way he could do it now was to do it as a joke. "I think you're still as cute as a button." He used a kiddy-sounding voice when he said that. His face was so close to Kyle's that he could have easily kissed him and no one would have been the wiser. Instead, he just rocked around with him.

Kyle could only blush a little.

----------------

--another time, another place...

----------------

Kyle somehow found himself sitting on a stool in Forde's room once again. 'Somehow' meaning that Forde had talked him into having more painting lessons. The last time they'd tried this was so long ago that Kyle forgot what Forde tried to teach him. Something about green. He looked at the many different hues Forde had set out for him. Apparently having choices in the colors you use is an important part of painting. (I wouldn't know. I'm not an artist. Maybe I should just quit. This isn't me at all,) Kyle thought, staring at the empty canvas.

A paint brush with a hand attached came into view from over Kyle's shoulder. "You can paint better with one of these. The colors aren't gonna magically make their way up there," Forde told him. "Unless you have divine powers that I don't know about."

Kyle sighed and took the brush. He turned to see the silly smile on Forde's face. "Very funny." He was serious, as always. He snatched the paint brush and just looked at it.

"Well?" Forde asked, still standing behind him.

"'Well' what? I don't know what I'm doing," Kyle said.

"Don't you remember anything I taught you?" Forde questioned.

"How am I supposed to remember that? It was weeks ago, Forde," Kyle replied calmly.

Forde walked over and stood beside the canvas. "I think you're over-exaggerating about how long ago it was."

"You think that because you have no concept of time. It's like you have the mental capacity of a pill bug," Kyle told Forde.

Forde frowned. "No need for insults. Let's just get started." He folded his arms across his chest and just stood beside the canvas, waiting for Kyle to begin.

"Get started? Get started on what, Forde? You still haven't taught me anything," Kyle said, getting a little irritated.

Forde sighed loudly and dramatically. "Maybe it's _you_ who has the mental capacity of a pill bug, then."

Kyle groaned. "It's so frustrating working with you. I don't know why I even bother."

"You know, you're not the easiest person to work with either. I don't know why I have to keep reminding you of that," Forde said. "Here." He moved behind Kyle, pulled up a stool and put his hand on the hand Kyle held the brush in. "We'll try this again from the beginning. What you want is brush control. Even strokes. Like this." He dipped the brush in some paint and started guiding Kyle's hand.

Kyle looked at Forde's hand on his and frowned. It made him so uncomfortable to have him so close. Once again, he could hear Forde breathing. And he was reminded of that night as they camped just outside of Grado. To kiss his companion. He never would have thought it would be so...

"Kyle," Forde whispered in his ear.

Kyle's eyes popped open. He hadn't even realized he'd closed them. "What is it, Forde?"

"You're kinda heavy," Forde said quietly.

Now, why was he telling him this? Kyle was about to turn so he could face Forde, but he made yet another shocking discovery. He was somehow leaning back against Forde. He sat up quickly, quite embarrassed by it.

Forde was quiet for a while as he continued showing Kyle what he wanted him to paint. "Now, I want you to practice that pattern. Once you feel like you have control, we'll move on," Forde told him. He let go of Kyle's hand and stayed right behind him.

How was Kyle supposed to concentrate with Forde right there breathing in his ear? He shifted in his seat a little and tried to go on with the strokes his friend had shown him.

"Now, about the other night...," Forde began.

Kyle frowned. He knew what night Forde was referring to. And he had him all to himself now. Cornered. Trapped. Kyle couldn't go anywhere. He tried to continue painting like nothing was bothering him.

"I told you that I have feelings for you," Forde went on. "And I can't help wondering if you have the same kinds of feelings for me. I can't tell anything by the way you act." He sighed. "It would really help if you would just tell me something. Anything."

(Why is he doing this to me?) Kyle asked himself. He tried to go on painting. (The reason I'm having these feelings is simple. I haven't been with a girl in a while. That's all. I'm looking for something to hold onto and I don't have a girl around. Even though in the right light, Forde looks a lot like one.) He laughed to himself a little.

Forde frowned. "What? What's so funny? I'm being serious."

Kyle got back serious. "I'm sorry, Forde. I shouldn't have laughed when you're obviously being serious." (That must be the reason he's having those feelings too. I haven't seen him with a girl in a while,) he thought. "I'll tell you what, Forde. We've both gone without women for a while. I mean, every girl in the vicinity is taken. But there should be plenty of single women staying at the inn in town. Why don't you and I go over there and find a date for the wedding tomorrow?"

Forde sighed and rolled his eyes. "You think so? Do you think that's our problem?" It was sarcasm.

"Of course it is," Kyle said, ignoring Forde's tone. "Think about it. The only girls we see are Tana, Lute, Amelia, and Neimi. Tana's married to our king. Lute's getting married to Artur. Amelia's liked Franz since we met her. And Neimi's been crazy about Colm all her life. All the girls here are taken." He stood and folded his arms across his chest. "By now everyone from Rausten and Jehanna should be here. Then there are the Frelian ladies. That would give us at least a couple of girls to choose from."

"I think you're in denial," Forde muttered. He stood from his seat.

Kyle looked at him. "Come again?"

"Nothing. Let's just head to the inn," Forde said.

----------------

--the finest inn in all of Renais...

----------------

The group from the kingdom of Jehanna had just arrived when Forde and Kyle walked up. Seven visitors: Joshua, Natasha, Gerik, Marisa, Tethys, Ewan and Saleh. They were moving their things into the inn.

"Ah, look at who it is. Our friends Kyle and Forde. It's been such a long time," Tethys said to her companions. She waved to the two new arrivals.

Ewan turned around quickly. "It's Forde and Kyle! Man, have I got some stories for you guys!"

Tethys put her arms around Ewan. "Calm down, Little Brother. If time allows, you can tell them all the stories you want."

"Right," Ewan said. He waved to Kyle and Forde, and then ran off to see what kind of mischief he could get into around town.

Marisa didn't look pleased to see them. Of course, she never looked happy about anything. She didn't bother to greet them. She just picked up some of their things and headed into the inn.

Joshua smiled. "Hey, it's great to see you guys again." He tipped his hat to them.

Natasha curtsied a bit and gave them a pleasant smile.

Saleh simply bowed his greeting and he, too, headed inside with some of their things.

"Hey, guys. It's great that we're all alive and well for this occasion," Gerik said.

"I hear that. Welcome to Renais," Forde greeted with a bow to the remaining visitors.

Kyle bowed as well. "Welcome indeed. Can we help you with anything?"

Forde looked at Kyle out of the corner of his eye. He had no intention of working when he came here. It was against everything he stood for. Work wasn't the first thing that was on his mind. But he bowed again anyway. "We are at your service."

"At our service, hm?" Tethys said. She hopped over some of the luggage and made her way over to Forde. She grabbed his arm and hugged it to her. "You're just in time, then." She smiled up at him.

Forde smiled back. "I see. You must have arrived not too long ago."

Kyle looked at Tethys and Forde and narrowed his eyes. (I thought Tethys would be with Gerik by now,) he thought. He was trying to fight off the thought that he should pull Forde away from her and keep him next to him. He turned away. "Joshua, Natasha, what's the word? Will you two wed as well?"

Joshua and Natasha looked at each other.

"We...haven't decided yet," Joshua answered.

Natasha smiled uneasily. "Excuse me. I should go and help the others." She hurried into the inn.

Kyle watched Natasha leave, and then looked at Forde as he gathered the luggage that Tethys was pointing out to him. (I'd have to light a fire under him to get him to do anything,) Kyle thought. (She's just handing out orders and he's following exactly what she says.)

"We've had a long trip, so we'll actually be staying in town for a few days after the wedding," Gerik said, standing behind Joshua.

Joshua smirked. "Yeah, we should have a drink together some time. Maybe even gamble a bit."

"I thought you got enough of that at Port Kiris," Gerik said.

Joshua's smile faded.

"So, that's what took you so long to arrive?" Kyle asked. "Gambling at Port Kiris?"

"Okay, we took a small detour to do a little gambling," Joshua answered. He looked over his shoulder at Gerik. "And someone should learn to keep his big mouth shut."

Gerik laughed and put his hand on Joshua's shoulder.

Kyle couldn't put his finger on it, but something was very strange about the Jehanna party.

----------------

_To be continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

a/n: Three simple words: Wri...Ter's...Block... Big time. So I wrote a little something else to get me back on track with how to write. It's been a long time, but I _think_ I've gotten myself back together. You are, of course, free to make any comments regarding any changes in anything I've done. Style, atmosphere, technique, flow, etc. You wonderful reviewers seem to be good at that sort of thing.

a/n: Comments on comments: I have to agree with what one person said. My Seth needs work. Of course, I had to pawn the position of 'all-knowing gay guy' off on someone and he seemed perfect for the job (especially since I was gonna stick him with Cormag anyway). As for Neimi, well, my excuse for her is that she's a girl and she's in love. Those kinds of girls seem to want to help with everyone's relationships, though they hardly know what they're doing in their own. You know that type.

a/n: Thanks for your reviews, if you're all still there. And now, on with the story.

----------------

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 9_

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--Renais inn...

----------------

Forde carried the bags into the room Tethys would be staying in and set them down. He noticed that Saleh was helping Natasha move some things around in the room as well. (Maybe everyone's helping everyone else,) Forde thought. It was hard to say who would room together. Then again, that wasn't his concern. He just wanted to get all this physical labor over and done with.

"My, you're a handy one to have around," Tethys told him. "So strong and well-built." She studied Forde's form.

An obvious flirt, but it went right over Forde's head.

Forde laughed a little. "I don't know about that. I'm just an average guy. I mean, I'm no Gerik."

Tethys sighed. "Ah, the chief. Yes, he's got a fantastic body." She looked as though she'd slipped into her own little dream world. "I loved him for so long... I thought he could find a place in his heart for me, but he prefers the life of a mercenary. He's always going off on missions with his mercenary friends." She walked over and sat on the nearest bed.

Forde just looked and listened. He wasn't sure why she was telling him this, but since he rarely ever saw her, he figured he could at least hear out what she had to say. It was the polite thing to do. And so he took a seat beside her.

"He always used to tell me that he wanted to give up the mercenary life," Tethys went on. "That it was never the life for him. That he'd never intended to become a mercenary in the first place. But I guess it's hard to give up that kind of life. Especially when he's been working as a mercenary for as long as he has. I don't blame him. It's the only life he knows, after all." She smiled warmly at Forde. "It would be like asking me to give up my life as a dancer. I've been doing it for so long; I don't know any other way to live."

Forde didn't know what to say. He just sat there looking at her with his eyebrows raised. Once he thought she was finished talking, he nodded a little to at least show that he was paying attention to what she was saying. Not his usual course of action. Normally when someone spoke to him of things he had no particular desire to hear, he would retreat to _his_ own little dream world.

Tethys sighed and laid her head on Forde's shoulder. "You're a good listener. I like that."

(How can she tell if I'm a good listener or not? I _could_ just be ignoring her,) Forde said to himself. He smiled at the thought.

"Anyway, I just had to pick my heart up off the floor, dust it off and move on," Tethys said. She lifted her head and looked at him. When she saw the smile on his face, she smiled as well. "Well, I've done nothing but go on about my love life--or lack there of. Why don't you tell me a little about what's going on with you?"

Forde watched Saleh and Natasha walk out of the room out of the corner of his eye. "What's going on with me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I've just been working as a knight. I help with the restorations now that we're in times of peace, but I'm sure there's fighting to be done in the future. Not that I look forward to--"

"Not with your work, silly," Tethys said with a laugh. She reached over and pushed some strands of hair out of Forde's face.

Forde frowned a little. This beautiful woman was so close to him, yet he immediately thought of Kyle.

"I was talking about your love life. How's that going?" Tethys asked. She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knee in a very lady-like fashion.

Forde sighed. "Love life? Well, that's not going anywhere."

"You mean someone as handsome as yourself isn't married by now?" Tethys asked. When she saw Forde look at her in surprise and then shake his head, she added, "What a crime."

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--outside the inn...

----------------

"My wisest attendant is ruling Jehanna in my stead," Joshua said. "That is, until I finally decide to marry." He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"You can do that?" Kyle asked.

"Apparently, you can," Joshua told him. "It's not like they have much of a choice in the matter. I'm not looking forward to marrying and Sir Roland is doing a fine job. Besides, I still have important mercenary work." He suddenly turned to Gerik. "Hey, Gerik, we may even be able to find a little work while we're here. If not that, we could get a good gamble going. I'm feeling lucky."

(He puts mercenary work ahead of ruling his country?) Kyle thought.

"That sounds good. My pockets are a little lighter than I'd like," Gerik said to Joshua. He went over and picked up some of their things. "We'd better take these bags in."

Joshua sighed. "Right." He looked at Kyle. "Would you give us a hand with some of this stuff?"

"Gladly," Kyle answered. He grabbed some of the luggage and followed the two gentlemen into the inn. He was about to ask which room the bags that he carried went to when he saw Joshua and Gerik enter the same room. He tried his best not to look as astonished as he was. There were couples amongst them, or so he assumed, yet Gerik was rooming with Joshua. (Not my concern,) he thought.

He watched as Joshua put his things on the floor. The Jehanna noble turned to his roommate and smiled. "I get the bed by the window."

Gerik laughed a little. "As you wish, Your Highness." He placed his bags by his bed.

Kyle placed the rest of the luggage in the middle of the room. "Well, I should leave so you two can unpack."

"Wait. There's no hurry, is there?" Joshua asked. "There's still light in the day and there's bound to be a tavern nearby. Why don't you join us for drinks? Ewan's too young and Saleh doesn't drink."

"I thought we'd go for drinks some other time," Kyle said. He felt uneasy about the whole idea for some reason. "The wedding is tomorr--"

"Drinking will be done at the wedding as well," Joshua said. "There's nothing wrong with a little pre-celebration drink."

Gerik nodded. "Besides, the more the merrier. Surely, you didn't have anything planned. Bring Forde along."

Kyle was just about to speak when Joshua interrupted him, saying, "Oh, I think Forde's busy enough with Tethys."

A frown came to Kyle's face. Tethys was a very attractive woman. It would be hard for any sane man to ignore her charms. Just the thought made Kyle's skin crawl. The little voice in the back of his mind kept telling him to find Forde before Tethys sank her hooks into him.

"She did seem very interested in him," Gerik pointed out.

Before Kyle even knew what was happening, he had made his way down the hall of the inn. He was standing in front of a door that he was sure belonged to Tethys and whoever her roommate was.

Knock, knock.

The door cracked only a little and Tethys peeped out. "Oh, Kyle. It's you." She opened the door back. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but is Forde around?" Kyle questioned. He looked inside the room. He wasn't sure what he was thinking. What was he trying to do? Was he trying to keep Forde from sleeping with this woman or something?

"He left not even a minute ago," Tethys told him. "I think he went outside looking for you."

Kyle wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, though he wasn't sure what he was so relieved about. "Thanks. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

(What is going on? Why does the thought of those two together make me feel...like this?) Kyle thought as he hurried back toward the inn entrance.

Just then, Forde was coming back inside. "Kyle, there you are." And there was that smile he always wore.

"Yes, here I am," Kyle said. He didn't want to seem like he'd been looking for him.

Forde folded his arms across his chest. "Well, I did what you said. You said that we should get dates for the wedding and I got a date for the wedding. I hope you're happy."

A feeling of disappointment came over Kyle, but he tried his best to smile anyway. "Yeah. That's the way."

The smile must have looked forced because Forde looked at him strangely.

"This calls for a celebration," Kyle announced. "We've been invited to have drinks with Jehanna's future king and the Desert Tiger."

Forde frowned. "I thought we'd go for drinks some other time."

Kyle furrowed his brow. He'd said the exact same thing. (Maybe Forde and I do spend too much time together,) he thought.

"Do you have a date for the wedding?" Forde questioned.

"Well, no--" Kyle began.

"You should go with Marisa," Forde suggested. "Someone who's just as distant as you are," he added quietly.

"What was that?" Kyle asked.

Forde shook his head. "Nothing. Just thinking out loud." He attempted a smile this time. "We've been invited to go drinking, right? We shouldn't keep our buddies waiting."

----------------

--a local tavern...

----------------

Joshua and Gerik were drinking enough for all four of them, but what really surprised Forde was that Kyle was downing beer after beer himself. He'd never seen his green-haired companion like this. Very unusual. And they were all being ridiculous. In a way, Forde was glad that Kyle was having a good time. He'd finally loosened up for a change. But then again there was the fact that he HAD been drinking a lot. That worried Forde a little.

The blond knight stared into the mug of beer he'd been slowly sipping from all afternoon, while the other three had consumed no less than eight pitchers between them. (Am I over-exaggerating or did they really have that many?) Forde asked himself. He sighed. He knew that he'd lost count early and the last he remembered paying attention to was the third one. So eight may have been a bit much, but he knew they'd had more than one a piece.

And now what were they doing? Gerik had taken over the table next to theirs to start up a game of poker with several other tavern-goers. A dangerous thing, playing for money with a bunch of drunkies. Joshua never went anywhere without his deck of playing cards, half a dozen dice, his lucky coin and a pocket full of cash.

And to make matters worse, Kyle was right there in the middle of it all.

"Hey, Forde. Why don't you join us? A nice friendly game of poker sounds like fun, right?" Kyle slurred. He blinked so he could focus on Forde.

Forde just turned in his chair and looked at him.

"What? What are you looking at me like that for? Is my hair messed up?" Kyle asked.

Forde looked at Kyle's hair. "Yeah, but that's not why I'm looking at you like that. I think you should back off on those beers. It's not like you to drink so much. I don't know what's gotten into you," Forde said to his friend.

Kyle ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten it. "I don't know what's gotten into YOU. You're usually all about this kinda thing. You know... What do you call it...? Fun! That's the word." He pulled a chair over, almost falling as he tried to sit in it. Leaning close to Forde and looking him straight in the eyes, he said, "You're not letting that girl run your life already, are you? That would make our relationship really boring."

Forde looked at Kyle strangely. ('Our relationship'?) he thought. Something he probably should have asked out loud. Instead he asked, "Who? Tethys?"

"Mm hm," Kyle said with a very uncharacteristic smile on his face. "She's gonna be your date for the wedding, right?" He leaned even closer to Forde.

Forde only nodded. All he could perceive was the smell of alcohol. Kyle's eyes were so terribly glazed that he looked like he might cry.

"Don't you know? Weddings make women think about marriage. And whoever they go to the wedding with, they're gonna think about marrying," Kyle told him slowly. He looked at the poker table as it was getting adjusted, then he looked back at Forde. "That lady is gonna wanna marry you."

Forde laughed. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard."

"It's true," Kyle said bluntly. He leaned even closer and leaned his forehead against Forde's.

"You're drunk," Forde pointed out. Even though he knew this was the case, it didn't stop his heart from fluttering. And it did nothing for the urge to kiss his beyond tipsy friend.

"That's true too. But only a little," Kyle said. He sighed. "I should have been your date, you know." He had positioned himself so that his lips brushed Forde's as he spoke.

Unfortunately, Forde was frozen in place. For all his desire to make firmer contact with those lips, he couldn't move. What was he waiting for? No one would care. No one was even paying attention it them. Besides, everyone there was drunk. They wouldn't remember it..., including Kyle. So perhaps that was why he hesitated.

"Alright. Now we've got ourselves a proper table. Let the gambling begin," Joshua announced.

"You got it," Kyle said, getting up and moving to the poker table.

Forde didn't know what to say. Did Kyle really want to be his date for the wedding or was he just speaking through a drunken haze?

"I've got gold here in this pouch of mine," Kyle stated. "If you think you've got any manner of luck at all, just you try and win it." He smiled rather stupidly.

--------

Forde found himself falling asleep even with all the noise inside the tavern--the sounds of shouting and cursing and laughing and whiskey bottles breaking and gold being tossed about and chairs hitting the floor. He couldn't help it. He was exhausted.

When he awoke he felt extremely groggy. He couldn't have drunk that much. He still had the same mug in front of him and it wasn't even half empty.

He ignored everything that was going on in the tavern and dragged himself outside for a breath of fresh air.

Around the corner was where he saw it. It explained why there were such unexpected rooming arrangements amongst the Jehanna party. It explained why Tethys couldn't seem to hold Gerik's attention. It explained why Gerik was always off doing mercenary work.

As soon as they came into his field of vision, Gerik leaned against the nearest wall and pulled Joshua to him. "I've been looking for you," he told the red-head.

Joshua laughed a little. "I was only gone for about two minutes." He leaned into him and smiled drunkenly.

"Two minutes too long," Gerik declared. He pecked Joshua on the lips and chuckled.

Joshua pressed his body against Gerik's and dove in for another more passionate kiss.

All Forde could do was look on with amazement. Were these two together or were they just acting on drunken impulse?

"We should get back," Joshua whispered.

Gerik kissed the side of Joshua's neck relentlessly. "Yeah, I could go for a fast, hot--" he began.

"I was talking about back to the game," Joshua said, laughing a little. "Even though you make bed sound really appealing."

"Mm," Gerik muttered, still assaulting Joshua's neck.

Forde watched in awe as Gerik slid a hand between their adjoined hips.

"We should at least tell those other two that we're leaving," Joshua suggested.

"Mm," Gerik repeated, never missing a beat.

"Gerik, come on," Joshua laughed. He pulled away and fell backwards.

Gerik leaned against the wall and looked down at Joshua. "You okay?" When he reached down to help him, Joshua pulled Gerik down on top of him. And they both laughed like a couple of inebriated idiots.

Forde had had enough fresh air for one night. He hurried back into the tavern where Kyle was still sitting at the poker table.

"I think I've won every hand," Kyle informed the competition. Just as he said that, the rest of men who'd been playing with him pushed away from the table to drink away their losses. Kyle filled his pockets with the gold he'd won and giggled like a little school girl. "Where are you going? You're not broke yet."

"You shouldn't taunt them," Forde said from behind Kyle.

Kyle turned in his chair and looked up at Forde. "Oh, there you are, my sleeping beauty. My good luck charm." He stood and put his hands on Forde's shoulders.

One of Kyle's fingers made its way to Forde's lips and began to trace them lightly. Forde couldn't stop the light shiver that seized his body.

"I've won the game. This calls for another round," Kyle said merrily. He was about to hold up his hand to call for more beer when Forde stopped him.

"No, it doesn't. It calls for you to sit down," Forde said. He took Kyle to their original table and made him sit in one of the chairs. Forde couldn't help thinking that they had switched roles somehow. Kyle was supposed to be the responsible one. "You've had more than enough to drink."

Joshua and Gerik finally made it back into the tavern with Gerik supporting Joshua every stop of the way.

"This has been a wonderful evening," Joshua told Forde and Kyle. "But alas, it has come to an end. We're going back to the inn so we can jump in bed and f--"

"I'm glad you guys decided to join us," Gerik said loudly, trying to drown out what Joshua was saying. They both broke into a small fit of giggles.

Forde blushed as Kyle giggled with them. (He doesn't even know what they're laughing about,) Forde thought.

Gerik took a deep breath to regain his composure. "We'll see you fellows at the wedding tomorrow." And with that he and Joshua left the tavern.

"We should get home too," Forde said to Kyle.

Kyle's eyelids looked like they wanted to shut.

"I'm not carrying you back," Forde told him. He smiled to himself as he put Kyle's arm around his shoulder. "Come on."

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_To be continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

a/n: Once again I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews. This installment has been a long, LOOOOOOOONG time coming (over a year, as a matter of fact), but here it is. Hope you didn't think I was giving up on it that easily.

a/n: All apologies for keeping you waiting for so very long (if you're still out there), but I hope you'll give me another chance here. (bats eyelashes) Though this chapter's not very focused, it's a lot better off than the first few times I wrote it. This is me on my way to finding out if I'll be able to continue this story. Now let's see if I still know how to do this...

----------------

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 10_

----------------

--back at the castle...

----------------

When they got to Kyle's room, the green-haired knight insisted that they not worry about lighting and Forde didn't argue. It was probably for the best, considering Kyle should get straight to bed anyway.

Forde sat Kyle down on his bed and started taking off his boots for him. "You really shouldn't have had so much to drink."

"I'm fine," Kyle insisted.

After removing the boots, Forde stood and pulled back the covers for Kyle to climb into bed. "We'll see how fine you are when that hangover's kicking you in the teeth in the morning."

Kyle chuckled, put his arms around Forde's waist and pulled him close. He sighed, rubbing his face against the blond knight's ribs. "Come here," he said quietly.

As if intoxicated himself, Forde did as Kyle commanded.

Kyle pulled Forde onto his lap so that he would straddle him and proceeded to kiss him firmly on the mouth. His tongue grazed roughly across Forde's lips, demanding to be let in. Both of Kyle's hands slid under Forde's shirt, one purposefully brushing the scar tissue on his side.

Forde gasped and moaned into Kyle's mouth as the green knight's tongue slipped in, caressing Forde's tongue, stroking madly and impatiently at it with a groan of his own.

Had Forde been able to stop himself, he would have, but instead he trailed kisses down Kyle's chin and to his neck, where he licked and suckled until he extracted the strangest sound from Kyle. It was a noise he was sure he would never hear from the rough and tumble knight, but he was absolutely positive that Kyle had let out a quiet, high-pitched whimper.

However, Kyle didn't notice the sound he'd made. He was concentrating on stroking Forde's chest and abs, both men's breaths quickening with each caress.

(This is so wrong. So very wrong,) Forde thought, steadily working on Kyle's neck, gently biting every now and then. Unfortunately, the blond could feel his most private part perking up.

Obviously, Kyle could feel it too. "I think someone likes to be touched," he teased as he tried to pull off Forde's shirt.

"Kyle, w-wait," Forde whispered. He could barely believe he'd said it himself.

"What wait?" Kyle asked.

"We can't do this," Forde told him.

Kyle groaned, "But I _want_ this. I want you."

Forde's protest caught in his throat with that last statement. (Aw, to hell with it,) he thought. He was about to continue devouring and being devoured, but reason somehow got the best of him. (No, he's drunk. Get a grip, Forde.) When he thought of _what_ it was he could get a _grip_ of, he panicked and stood up, backing away from Kyle. "Not like this. Not now."

A long sigh escaped Kyle's lips. "You're a great guy. I want you to take advantage of me, but you won't. That's definitely worth working with." He laughed to himself a little. "I should write myself a note in case I don't remember this." He stood and held Forde in a tight embrace.

Forde could do nothing but hold him and feel his friend's breath against his neck. Kyle's hands slowly began making their way southward. "No." Forde thought he'd said it loud enough for Kyle to hear, but he couldn't be sure; he barely heard it himself. When he tried to say it again a little louder, it just came out as a little groan of pleasure as Kyle pressed their bodies together.

"Do you really want to leave?" Kyle whispered, nipping at Forde's ear.

"No," Forde replied quietly.

"I don't want you to leave," Kyle said.

Just the right movement and Forde almost let out a passionate cry, but he stifled it by kissing Kyle on the lips once again.

"Take me," Kyle hissed seductively.

What an invitation!

"D-do you even know what you're saying?" Forde asked. He didn't really want to ask that because he already knew the answer. His friend was too drunk to know what he was saying.

"I believe I do," Kyle murmured.

(Nope. Kyle has no clue what he's asking me to do,) Forde thought. He smiled to himself, knowing that if he just made Kyle lie down, he'd have no more trouble out of him. The plan was foolproof. Kyle was so drunk now that he would fall asleep as soon as his head made contact with his pillow.

Forde slowly started positioning Kyle so that he'd lie under his covers. "How about going to sleep instead?" For the most part, Kyle had been quite submissive about it--no struggle to stay vertical and whatnot--but then when Forde was about to turn and walk away, he reached up and tugged at Forde's sleeve.

"Aren't you staying?" Kyle asked groggily.

The blond knight sighed. "You're hopeless."

"And you don't know how to take a hint. I want you to stay here with me," Kyle told him, pulling Forde into bed beside him.

"Alright, already," Forde complied, climbing into bed beside Kyle. "I spoil you. You know that, right?"

Kyle laid his arm across Forde's chest. "Mm." He fell asleep immediately.

But it took Forde a little longer.

----------------

--wedding day...

----------------

Kyle lay in bed, refusing to move and staring at the figure lying beside him. They were both still clothed, so that was a good sign, but his memory of the night before was one big fog filled with playing cards and mugs and gold coins and laughing. Now he was staring at the side of Forde's face, studying it really, trying to figure out what had caused them to share a bed last night. And most importantly he wanted to know why his arm was laying across the man's chest.

Forde opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment before his eyes drifted over to Kyle. The green-haired knight's arm was still across his chest; apparently neither of them had moved in the night.

"Good morning?" Forde greeted hesitantly.

As if Kyle had thought the vision of Forde next to him was nothing more than a dream, the usually solemn knight gasped when Forde spoke. He quickly removed his arm and rolled right off the bed with a thud. This was a good time to notice that his head had been pounding ever since he'd opened his eyes, and now it felt as though his brain had been rattled. "Uuuugh..."

Forde looked over the edge of the bed at him. "Are you alright?"

"What...are you doing here?"

A long sigh came from the blond knight. "You drank yourself into a stupor last night and you..." He stopped and blushed when he thought about their behavior the night before. (Would it really do any good to tell him about the way he acted?) Forde thought. "You asked me to stay with you."

Kyle tried to remember anything that may have happened last night, but it was all a haze. He didn't even remember how he got to his room.

"There's also a wedding today," Forde reminded him.

Of course, he remembered that. That was the whole reason they were out last night. "Yes, Forde, I am aware of that," Kyle sighed. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Each word from his own lips made his head pound even harder.

"Shouldn't YOU?" Forde asked.

Kyle rubbed his eyes in irritation. "Yes, but, unlike you, I'm already in my room. Besides, you have to meet up with your date."

"Hmph. We both went to get dates for this wedding under your advisement, mind you, yet, you don't have one. I don't think that's fair at all," Forde complained.

"You're wasting precious time, Forde. Just go get ready. I don't want either of us to be late," Kyle told him.

Forde rolled his eyes. "Fine, but don't think I'll ever forgive you for this. You owe me."

----------------

--the wedding...

----------------

Had the occasion not revolved around a wedding, one would have thought that this was simply a reunion of war buddies. Everyone was dressed in his or her finest and had started to mingle before the wedding began. Hailing from the country of Rausten were L'Arachel, Dozla and Rennac...

"Dozla, Rennac, we simply must pay a visit to the ladies and gentlemen we rescued during The Great War," L'Arachel said, pointing toward the group of regals who had by chance managed to gather together.

Dozla laughed heartily. "Of course, Princess L'Arachel! I would follow you to the end of the world and back!"

Rennac sighed as he watched the two head toward the others. "Won't she ever get enough of ordering us around?"

"Rennac! Come!" L'Arachel called to him.

-----

Among said group were Ephraim and Tana, Innes and Eirika, Gilliam and Syrene, Duessel, Joshua and Natasha, and Seth. There were always important matters to discuss among the rulers and semi-rulers of the kingdoms of Magvel.

"Look who just came in together," Tana said to Syrene. "Forde and Tethys. That's a pair I never expected."

Okay, so their conversations were a little less than regal at the moment.

"Did you say Forde and Tethys?" Eirika asked, looking over at the new arrivals. "Wow, they look good together."

-----

Ephraim was talking to Gilliam about his recent marriage to Syrene. "I can understand that you wanted things to be private when you got married, but everyone would have liked to come and witness your wedding."

"Well, you have to understand, Your Majesty. We didn't want everyone to leave their countries so soon after wartime just to hear our vows," Gilliam said. "There was important work to be done everywhere."

Innes had made himself into the center of attention with Joshua, Natasha, Duessel and Seth. "Of course, my own wedding was much more spectacular than this."

"Not everyone can have a king's wedding, I suppose," Joshua said sarcastically.

Seth sighed and began scouting the room for the rest of the guests.

-----

Neimi had shown up alone and was looking at some of the flowers around the room.

"Alright, Colm. This is your chance. You're lucky that she doesn't have a date," Vanessa said.

"But I came to you to ask you to be my date," Colm reminded her.

"Go," Vanessa told him. She pushed him over to Neimi and then walked off.

Colm adjusted his collar and cleared his throat. "Neimi... Hi."

Neimi turned to him, tears immediately filling her eyes.

Colm rolled his eyes. "Oh, not this again," he murmured.

-----

Cormag was standing in a corner, supposedly holding a conversation with Saleh, Knoll and Moulder, but he never said a word. It would have been obvious to anyone who was paying attention to him that he was too busy watching the Silver Knight to notice anything around him.

"Slowly but surely alliances are being made between practitioners of the three magics," Moulder was saying. "Unfortunately most mages of light see dark mages as a threat. And since light mages have more influence with anima mages, the latter tend to agree with the former. Hence the groups are constantly at odds with each other, except in a few choice locations."

"Well, Father Moulder. You are a practitioner of light. What do you think of our Druid friend?" Saleh asked.

Knoll raised his eyebrows.

Moulder looked at Knoll. "Well, he is a gentleman who fights on the side of good. I gladly call him friend."

"Indeed. Now, if we could only get the rest of the world to see them that way, we'd be in business," Saleh said.

"I'd call that a miracle," Knoll commented.

-----

Franz and Amelia found themselves chatting with the younger crowd, Ross and Ewan.

"Eventually you'll be able to record tons and tons of music and put it on a box that's about this big," Ewan said, holding his fingers about three inches apart. "And you'll be able to listen to it wherever you go."

Amelia laughed. "You have such a creative imagination, Ewan."

Franz looked from Amelia to Ewan, then put his hands in his pockets. (He's not so great,) he thought.

"If you think that's creative, check this out," Ewan said. "I've managed to fuse an anima spell with a light spell. I like to call this one 'Fireworks'. Now, watch real close." He pulled out a small book and began to read from it.

"Ewan, I don't know if that's such a great idea," Franz began.

Before they knew it, Ewan had held out his hand and what looked like the Shine spell slowly began to expand in front of him.

The other three backed away.

"Here goes!" Ewan warned as the spell slowly began to disburse. He read one last passage and instead of lighting up the area, the outer edges of light began to burn and spiral.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Amelia said.

"Now what? You can't hold onto that all day. And once your sister or one of the royals find out you've burned the table down, they'll toss you out on the street," Ross told Ewan.

Ewan smirked. "Would you relax?" He began reading out of the book again and soon the bright light with flaming edges began to shrink.

"Did you just--?" Amelia began.

"--reverse the spell?" Ewan finished for her. "Yes, I did. It's a very complicated process and it'll take a long time to master, but I believe that if I work with it long enough that maybe I'll be able to cancel other mages' spells."

"That's ingenious!" Ross said.

"A counter offensive for magic? Unbelievable!" Amelia added.

Franz had to admit, that was pretty impressive.

"You could be a Knight's best asset. We don't have a defense against magic," Amelia said.

"And Fighters are pretty weak against magic too. You could possibly save someone's life with something like that," Ross said.

Ewan beamed with pride.

Franz, though he felt a pang of jealousy, smiled at Ewan.

-----

Kyle came in alone and scanned the room. There was no sign of Forde anywhere. Maybe the blond knight was late. Or knowing Forde, he was too lazy to show up. If that were the case, Kyle would have to remember to kill his friend the next time he saw him.

"Hello, Kyle," someone said from behind him. It was Gerik and he had Marisa on his arm. Well, she wasn't 'on his arm', per se; she was really just standing beside him.

"Gerik, the Desert Tiger," Kyle greeted. He bowed to the lady. "And Marisa, the Crimson Flash."

"Hm," was all Marisa had to say.

"I had a great time with you guys last night. I was hoping that maybe you wanted to go out again tonight. Just the four of us," Gerik suggested. He looked around. "Where IS Forde anyway? I always expect for you two to be joined at the hip."

"Well, he's supposed to be joined at Tethys' hip today, you know. I'm sure that if we find her, we'll find him," Kyle told him. He didn't really think that Tethys would let Forde get away with standing her up. That just wasn't the kind of woman she was.

There was a huge crowd gathered in the center of the main hall and Kyle was sure that the bride and groom had come into the room.

Gerik had noticed it as well. "Hey, let's go see what's going on."

Marisa, surprisingly, lead the way. There was a whole lot of ruckus emanating from inside this circle of people and making its way outward.

-----

Now in the middle of this circle of guests was Tethys and she was dancing quickly to the slow orchestral music that was playing in the background. And of course, there was only one thing that made this possible. It was all because Forde had somehow managed to get his hands on one of the extra timpanis and he was banging away much faster than the orchestra, yet it was all on beat. And Tethys hit every beat Forde played for her.

"She's so beautiful," one of the women in the crowd said.

Most of the guys were simply in awe, even Gerik had to watch the hypnotic motions of Tethys' hips. The crowd had even begun to clap to the beat. Everyone was impressed except Kyle, who was more angry that Forde was not only encouraging such a thing, but he was a part of it. It seemed Forde was more impressed with his drumming than anything.

"FORDE!!" Kyle shouted.

The crowd fell deathly silent.

Forde immediately stopped what he was doing and cringed. "Oh, I know that angry voice," he murmured. As if in hopes that it wasn't who he thought it was, he slowly turned around. "Kyle. H-how are you doing?"

"Forde, this has to be the worst behavior I've ever seen out of you. This is someone's wedding and you're ruining the whole atmosphere, not to mention the music. When are you going to grow up?" Kyle scolded.

Forde was about to plead his case when Tethys spoke up. "Hey, what's your problem, Kyle? We were just having a little fun." She walked over to Forde and put her arms around his waist.

"And we thought his timpani work was superb," the orchestra conductor added.

Kyle was too busy stewing on the fact that Tethys had her arms around Forde to even realize what the conductor had said. He would have called her the harlot that she was, but everyone in the main hall was staring at him.

"To tell you the truth, those two were making the atmosphere even more appropriate for this joyous occasion," Natasha put in.

Kyle groaned. He knew that Forde enjoyed making other people happy more than anything. And everyone seemed to be happy. Mission accomplished..., well, except for the fact that Kyle wasn't happy at all.

"Come on, Sir Forde," one of the orchestra players called. "Let us play more music."

Kyle gave up. Fresh air. That was what he needed. He excused himself as the musicians started up again, this time a more upbeat tune.

-----

He wasn't sure how long he stood just outside the palace door with his eyes closed and his head against the wall, but when next he opened his eyes, he saw Forde sitting by one of the pillars in front of him. Kyle tried his best not to seem startled and simply averted his eyes. "Shouldn't you be in there with your date and the rest of the guests, Sir Life-of-the-Party?"

"I thought I'd be of more help out there. You could use a little life in your party," Forde said. "Don't worry about them, though. They know that you were just being you." He gave Kyle one of his patented foot-loose and fancy free grins.

"Yeah, and I know that you were just being you," Kyle said. "Sorry for coming down on you like that."

Forde jumped to his feet and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

Kyle looked around as well. "Hear what?"

"The Great Sir Kyle just apologized for something," Forde said, playfully poking Kyle in the chest.

Kyle grabbed Forde's hand to keep from being poked. "You are such a child."

"And you're a brat. When things don't go your way you pout," Forde told him.

"I do not."

"You do. Now come back inside. This day isn't about you, it's about Artur and Lute. And Artur's made his appearance. We're about to miss the ceremony," Forde said. He started pulling Kyle along by the hand since the green-haired knight couldn't seem to let him go.

----------------

_To be continued..._


	11. Chapter 11

a/n: Thanks for the reviews once again. It's nice to see that some of you are still around. It's also good to see some new faces (or names, rather). I'm still a little slow on these updates, but not as slow as that last chapter was. Let's see if I'm still headed in the right direction with this.

a/n: To tell you the truth, I'd debated with myself on several occasions that I should have made the last chapter the final chapter, but I figured I could go on for a little while longer with this. Hope you don't mind. With the method I use to write these chapters, there's no telling what might happen.

----------------

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 11_

----------------

--the celebration continues...

----------------

There wasn't a dry female eye among them besides the bride, that is. For some reason Lute couldn't comprehend something as simple as emotions. What she could comprehend, however, was a very long and involved marital vow, boasting her own greatness for the most part. But surprisingly she ended it rather sweetly by saying that there was no one she'd rather have share in that greatness than a man of equal greatness. It seemed to almost stun Artur.

So they kissed a less mechanical kiss than anyone expected, though it was short. And the festivities continued.

The first dance of the post wedding celebration was, of course, shared by the bride and groom. Kyle looked across the dance floor as the couples slowly waltzed to the orchestra's music. King Innes held Queen Eirika close and she didn't seem very comfortable about it. Gilliam and Syrene held each other in a loving embrace as Gilliam whispered to her and Syrene simply smiled. King Ephraim and Queen Tana danced, Ephraim seeming more rigid than a man who was enjoying himself should be; much like how Marisa was dancing with Gerik. Joshua, however, seemed to be enjoying himself even though Natasha's eyes were fixed at some unknown object or person across the room. Even Neimi was out on the dance floor with her arms around Colm's neck. Franz and Amelia danced a little farther apart, still a little wary of public body contact. L'Arachel seemed even more impressed with Rennac's dancing now than she had been when they had their dance-off out on the battlefield.

And then there was the couple of the day, Forde and Tethys. She was pressed so firmly against Forde that Kyle had to wonder if Forde breathe.

Kyle looked over and saw Seth and Cormag outside the crowd that was watching the couples dance. The two seemed to be in their own world as they chatted away and watched the dancing couples from afar. He'd never seen Cormag so gregarious. The green-haired knight wondered if those two ever wanted to be able to dance like that together at one of these get-togethers. He furrowed his brow. Something about that whole concept irked Kyle. Noooooo. Most likely, those two were much like he would be--dreading even the _thought_ of dancing.

"Sir Kyle," someone said, snapping Kyle from his thoughts.

Kyle looked at who'd spoken to him. It was one of the lovely Pegasus Knights of Frelia, Vanessa. "Vanessa. What can I do for you on this fine day?"

"It is a fine day. It was a beautiful wedding as well," Vanessa commented.

"It was," was all Kyle could say.

"Everyone's either dancing or mingling except the two of us. Well, once I got Colm and Neimi back together. They seem to be doing great," Vanessa went on.

"They look happy." He hadn't directed it toward Neimi and Colm. He was talking about Forde and Tethys. The latter was in the midst of a giggle fit while the former had backed away from her and was showing her some very jerky and somewhat clumsy dance steps. Forde had said something, but Kyle couldn't hear it over the rest of the crowd.

"Vanessa, would you like to dance?" Kyle asked.

Vanessa looked a little surprised. "Well, I suppose, but--"

Kyle knew to whom Vanessa's heart belonged. She'd admired the new king of Frelia all her life. But dancing wouldn't hurt.

A crazy set of love interests surrounded him. Vanessa loved Innes. Innes loved Eirika. Eirika loved Seth. Seth loved Cormag. It appeared that Cormag and Seth were the only couple among that set that was happy on both ends--an across kingdom affair.

And then the Jehanna group was another interesting set. Tethys was with Forde, yet she'd always loved Gerik. Gerik was currently dancing with Marisa, who was also in love with him, yet Gerik's interest didn't appear to be in either of those ladies. The king of Jehanna refused to take the title because he loved gambling and mercenary work, and he seemed quite disinterested when it came to Natasha, though he appeared to be having the time of his life with her now. And Natasha obviously felt little, if any, feelings for Joshua at all. It made Kyle wonder who their hearts belonged to if not each other.

The homeland group wasn't all that great. Tana loved Ephraim, but he didn't seem interested in anything besides the condition of his kingdom. Franz and Amelia had it right, except for the fact that Kyle remembered seeing Amelia laughing and talking with Ewan earlier (who openly confessed to having feelings for Amelia at the end of the Great War). Lute and Artur, who'd been in love since before the Great War began, had the perfect relationship, though Lute was completely confounded by the notion. Neimi and Colm had been together all their lives. They just belonged together.

At least Gilliam and Syrene were happy together, and evidently if L'Arachel and Rennac didn't watch out, they would end up 'happily ever after' as well.

As Kyle and Vanessa danced, they moved closer and closer to Forde and Tethys. Not by chance, mind you, but because Kyle had taken the lead.

"I've never actually seen Kyle dance, but I imagine that's what it would look like," Forde could be heard saying.

Tethys was cracking up laughing.

Kyle growled, but kept dancing..

Vanessa laughed a little after hearing the remark. "Don't listen to him, Kyle. You've proven to be a wonderful dancer. You have this very stately way of dancing. It's not too official and it's not too close for comfort. It's very much like a gentleman. I'll give you an 8.5 out of 10."

Kyle frowned. "Eight point five? Why not a nine or a ten?"

"Because this is a wedding, not a knighting," Vanessa told him with a little smile.

Kyle looked at the ceiling. "Of course." He looked over and saw that Forde and Tethys had gone back to dancing normally. And for a second, he caught Forde's eye.

----------------

--after cake...

----------------

Forde spotted Kyle walking toward him and smiled at the green haired knight. "Kyle."

The look on Kyle's face seemed sad, even during such a jovial occasion. "Forde, we need to talk. We should go someplace a little quieter." He put his hands in his pockets and started walking toward the knights' quarters.

With the huge celebration going on it was highly unlikely that anyone would notice that they were missing, but Forde had to wonder what this was all about. Kyle was so serious all the time, he was sometimes hard to read, though at other times you could see through him like a glass figurine.

(Now I'm comparing him to _figurines_? I really HAVE been hanging out with him too long,) Forde thought.

Kyle stopped in the hall of the knights' quarters and just stood there with his back to Forde for a while. And Forde stopped behind him, neither of them speaking once they'd made it to their destination.

Silence...

But only for a little while...

"I saw you dancing with Vanessa today," Forde said. "So, you finally decided to join in and get a date. I have to admit, she seems a little young for you, but at least--"

Kyle turned to Forde and folded his arms across his chest. "Forde, that's not what I want to talk about."

And then once again the green knight was silent and Forde couldn't help looking confused. "What DID you want to talk about?"

"I've been thinking...," Kyle began, yet he didn't continue.

The blond knew that his friend was usually a bit more eloquent than this. Whatever it was he wanted to talk about must have had him at a loss for words. For some reason this made Forde a little nervous, almost hopeful, yet he didn't know why.

"I've been thinking about last night. My behavior was completely uncalled for," Kyle told him.

It was now Forde's turn to think. What behavior did he mean? Was he talking about all the drinking or did he recall what happened once Forde got him back to his room? Forde simply raised his eyebrows.

"I shouldn't have had so much to drink," Kyle went on. "And I'm still feeling the effects. So if I was a jerk to you last night, I'm sorry."

"You're apologizing again? This really IS a day to celebrate," Forde said.

"Quit joking around, Forde. I mean it."

Forde shook his head. "You weren't exactly a gentleman, but you weren't a jerk either. At least not to me or Joshua or Gerik. You were a jerk to the guys you were gambling with, though."

"Gambling?" Kyle asked. He put his hand to his head. "Well, that explains all the gold I found in my pockets... So why were you sleeping in my bed?"

"I already told you. Because you asked me to," Forde reminded him. He looked away.

Kyle watched Forde's reaction and narrowed his eyes. "Forde, there's something you're not telling me."

The blond knight stared off into nothing and began to fidget a bit.

"Forde."

Forde's mind wandered back to what had happened between them last night and he simply stared at Kyle.

"Forde!"

"Listen, let's not do this. Besides, it's not like we brought a couple of girls back or anything," Forde tried to joke. He laughed a little.

Kyle put his hands on his hips. "Forde, just answer me. What all happened last night?"

"What do you want me to say?" Forde asked. "Nothing happened." He was about to turn away, but Kyle walked closer to him and all the blond knight could do was take a couple of steps back. "If you don't remember, then just let it go."

"So something did happen," Kyle said.

As much as he wanted to tell Kyle that they were making out, he couldn't. The green knight wouldn't believe him anyway. "Nothing happened." Forde closed his eyes...

_Kyle pulled Forde onto his lap so that he would straddle him and proceeded to kiss him firmly on the mouth..._

The blond knight had to take a deep breath to shake the memory.

"You know, if you'll just tell me what happened, I wouldn't be wasting so much of your time and you'd be able to get back to Tethys."

Forde frowned. "I wouldn't even be with Tethys if you hadn't insisted that our being attracted to each other had something to do with the fact that we haven't been with women in a while."

Kyle was flustered by the remark. "Attracted to each other?"

"That's right. Attracted to each other," Forde said. He looked around to make sure no one was there to hear their conversation. "Come here. Follow me."

"Forde, wha--" Kyle began.

Forde grabbed Kyle by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into his quarters, then closed the door. "There's one thing I want to get straightened out right here, right now."

Kyle couldn't believe Forde was roughing him up like this and he was letting the blond knight get away with it. Forde seemed so serious right now that he felt his life might be in danger if he resisted. It was a side of the man he'd only seen in battle.

Forde pushed Kyle up against his door and just held him there for a minute. Maybe it was some sort of adrenaline rush that had taken him over, because he really had no idea what he was doing. "That night on our way back from Grado...something was there. I'm not sure what it was for you, but it was very real for me and you can't just go around pretending it never happened."

Once Kyle had gathered his bearings, he growled, grabbed Forde's collar and changed their positions, pushing the blond up against the door. "I'm not pretending that nothing happened that night. I'm just saying that there must be some other explanation for it that doesn't result in being dandies. We're two guys and we're best friends. Of course we have feelings for each other. We're practically family. But to honestly entertain the notion that we could have romantic feelings for each other is lunacy."

After a moment, Forde laughed bitterly. "You're such an idiot, Kyle."

The green haired knight looked at Forde angrily.

"Why do you think I'm not all that ecstatic about telling you what happened last night?" Forde said. He forced Kyle's hands away from his shirt and straightened it up.

That statement confused Kyle. "What do you mean?"

"We were all over each other last night. We couldn't keep our hands off each other."

"I was drunk!"

Forde went on, "You said you wanted me. You even asked me to...," Forde started.

"Asked you to what?"

Forde tried to think of a gentle way to put it, but just thinking about what Kyle had said to him last night--those two very small words--made blood race through his veins. He sat where he stood in fear that his interest might begin to show. Why should he find a gentler way of saying what Kyle had said to him last night? "You asked me to take you."

"Take me where?" Kyle asked.

That was the moment Forde had to burst out laughing.

Kyle frowned. "What?"

"You can be so dumb sometimes," Forde could barely get out between fits of laughter.

"What's so funny? What are you talking about, Forde?" Kyle asked.

After Forde calmed down a little, he hopped to his feet and said, "You wanted me to do sexual things to you."

Kyle went a little pale at first, then his face immediately reddened a bit. "Is that so?" He couldn't think of anything else to say on the matter. He wanted to deny it, but he didn't know whether it was fact of fiction.

"Listen, Cormag and Seth aren't dandies, right? They're just regular guys," Forde said as he began closing the distance between them.

Kyle looked at Forde out of the corner of his eye and took a few steps back. "Don't..."

Forde kept walking toward Kyle until he had him backed up against the wall. "And Gerik and Joshua are regular guys, right? No dandies there."

"Wait... Gerik and Joshua?"

"Gerik and Joshua. They stepped out last night while you were inside playing cards. I saw them together," Forde informed him, putting his hands on the wall on either side of Kyle.

"I did not see that one coming," Kyle said, looking away a little. Then he quickly looked back at Forde. "But I'm serious. If you're thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing, don't."

Forde smirked in Kyle's face. "And to think I couldn't get you away from me last night."

"Well, you were the sober one. You should've known better," Kyle said. He tried to push past Forde, but the blond knight wouldn't budge. "Forde."

"You're not putting up much of a fight, Kyle," Forde whispered with the same smirk on his face. But he didn't move in closer. He just kept his face a few centimeters from Kyle's, feeling his friend all but gasping for air as his own heart raced. His eyes were on Kyle's, yet Kyle's seemed to be slightly downcast as if he were staring at his lips. The blond could almost feel the green haired knight trembling before him.

Forde wasn't really sure what had come over him, but he liked it. It was empowering to know that he was right. Sure, he was only bluffing when he said it, but it turned out that Kyle wasn't fighting against him. (This green haired know-it-all isn't so tough now, is he?) Forde thought.

As soon as Forde was about to move in for the kill, Kyle stopped him. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Kyle said. With that he pushed past Forde and walked hurriedly out of the room.

Forde was so astonished that he couldn't move at first. Then he smiled to himself as he thought, (That's the second time he's run off like that.) The blond knight laughed out loud to himself.

----------------

--out in the training yard...

----------------

Forde figured he could blow off some steam if he went out and beat up on those wooden practice dummies the castle help made during the training for the spear competition. It had been a while since he had some decent training, and even though his usual training time was at night, he thought that now was as good a time as any to practice. The place was desolate since there had been a celebration going on, so he'd have plenty of privacy. No one would be the wiser. Everyone would still be under the impression that he was simply a lucky son-of-a-gun on the battlefield because he never trained and always slept instead. Ha, ha, haaa.

He unsheathed one of the practice swords that they always kept there and twirled it around dangerously, yet almost playfully. Soon he began an old routine he remembered from when he was just a Recruit. All those old blade techniques easily came back to him and he danced around his wooden opponent swiftly, chipping parts of the dummy off with each swing.

"Well, it seems that what General Seth said was true," someone began.

Forde turned in the direction of the voice with his sword at the ready, and when his eyes darted around for the culprit, he spotted Gerik sitting in one of the nearby trees. He smiled up at the Desert Tiger. "Gerik."

"So, you do actually train while no one is around," Gerik went on as he hopped down from his branch.

Forde looked away. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. The big secret's out. But could you try not to tell anyone? I'll never hear the end of it if you do."

"My lips are sealed," Gerik told him, "though I don't know why you hide the fact that you actually work really hard at what you do. You're a very talented swordsman from what I've seen on the battlefield and you're equally talented with a spear. Why all the secrecy?"

"Because I'm the joker. I'm the lighthearted one," Forde said. "I work hard on that as well. There has to be someone out there who makes things a little better for everyone else, you know? Someone who doesn't take things so seriously."

"That's one hell of a burden to put on yourself, Forde," Gerik remarked. "Besides, the Great War is over. There's hardly anything left for soldiers like us besides bandits here and there and an occasional crop of leftover monsters. You don't have to carry the weight of the world anymore."

Was he carrying the weight of the world? "Well, there are restorations to be done and bandits do show up from time to time," Forde explained. "As long as there are people who take things too seriously in the world, there has to be someone around who doesn't take things so seriously."

"You're talking about Kyle, aren't you?" Gerik asked.

(What makes him think that?) Forde thought. He swung his practice sword around haphazardly. "Kyle?"

Gerik gave a nod. "You two have this strange vibe going. I can't put my finger on it. You're like two sides of the same coin." He thought about what he said and laughed a little. "I've been around Joshua too much, using these coin analogies. Anyway, you're somehow the best set of friends I've ever run into, yet you're complete opposites."

Friends... Maybe Gerik and Kyle were right. Maybe he and his friend just had 'best friend' feelings for each other. But then again, Forde was currently talking to someone who he thought was just friends with a guy, yet they're together. "Like you and Joshua?" Forde knew all about their affair.

"I wouldn't say like me and Joshua. We have much more in common than people might think," Gerik said. He paused for a moment. "We're also a lot closer than people might think."

Before Forde was able to comment on Gerik's statement, Seth rushed out to the training yard.

"There you are, Forde," Seth said.

"You're looking for me?" Forde asked him.

Seth gave a nod. "A messenger just informed the king that a small village near the Renais border is under attack. Cormag went to reconnoiter the area. I need able soldiers suited up and ready to go when he returns. We meet at the castle gate."

----------------

_To be continued..._


	12. Chapter 12

a/n: Another long wait. Thanks for the reviews. Hope this entertains you until the next chapter.

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_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 12_

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Kyle was in his room preparing for the upcoming battle, yet his mind was elsewhere.

_"You asked me to take you," Forde had told him not that long ago._

It was always said that alcohol was like a truth serum, a means of relinquishing inhibitions. If it wasn't something that he really felt, why would he be so willing to have his hands all over Forde--or so the blond said--not to mention ask him to sleep with him? Kyle rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and sighed. He didn't want to think about this; didn't want to consider what his feelings _could_ be. He would simply tell himself how to feel and that's the way he would feel. "This is ridiculous. I don't want Forde. He's my friend." He frowned and just kept his hands over his eyes. After a while, he chuckled. "And if I have to say this out loud to myself--" Before he was able to finish his statement, there came a knock on his door. "Who's there?"

"Me."

The green knight removed his hands from his face and rolled his eyes. He was hoping he wouldn't have to hear that voice again so soon. "Forde."

"Who else?"

Kyle frowned and finished putting on his gear. He really didn't want to face Forde right now, considering how they had left each other... Or rather, considering how Kyle had fled the scene. For a man who was convinced that his relationship with his best friend was strictly platonic, he became strangely excited any time Forde was near. He'd become so excited during their last encounter that Kyle didn't even want to think about the result...

"Forde, what do you want? I'm busy," Kyle said as he opened the door. He was surprised to see a fully armored red paladin before him.

Forde seemed a bit startled when the door opened, but quickly gathered his bearings. "Oh. I guess this means you heard." He looked Kyle over and smiled. "Great. Saves me the time of having to tell you about the attack."

Kyle frowned. "You were ready before I was?"

Forde's grin grew wider. "Is everything a competition to you?"

"No."

"Sure it is. I'll bet if I were to challenge you to a duel right now, you wouldn't turn me down," Forde said.

"I'm going to the gate," Kyle told him, brushing past the blond knight. He still felt that now familiar thrill whenever he was near Forde, yet he refused to let it show. The green haired knight turned to make sure Forde was following him out of the room, but he instead noticed Forde slowly moving toward his nightstand.

"These things," Forde said with a laugh as he picked up one of Kyle's figurines.

"Hey, put that down," Kyle warned.

The one Forde had picked up was one of his favorites, given to him by the first young lady he'd ever rescued. He didn't remember her name, but he remembered that figurine--the stone horse rared up on its hind legs.

"You know, these are some really great pieces of artwork," Forde said, turning the thing about. "I mean, can you imagine the amount of time it takes to craft something this detailed?"

Kyle smiled. "Forde. I had no idea you had an appreciation for such things. You were laughing at me for collecting them just the other day."

"What do you mean, you're surprised I have 'an appreciation for such things'? I'm an artist. I appreciate just about everything Not just painting," Forde said.

"It's a shame you can appreciate all the art forms, but you have no respect for the amount of time and effort it takes to rebuild a kingdom," Kyle said.

Forde smiled and sighed. "Here comes the lecture."

"Oh, I'm not going to lecture you. I don't have time for it right now." Kyle walked over to him and took the stone figurine away, carefully replacing it. "There's a battle to be won." He turned and walked out of his room.

"I should've known you'd be all over this. A chance to be 'the hero' again," Forde said, walking right on Kyle's heels.

Kyle sighed loudly. "You still don't get it, do you? What I do--what _we_ are _supposed_ to do--is serve our kingdom and our king, NOT ourselves." He began walking faster.

"Well, believe me, if I was serving myself, I definitely wouldn't be here. I'd be out on a beach someplace waiting for beautiful women to massage my back," Forde joked. He heard Kyle snort and after a moment of following his wordless friend, Forde frowned. "Oh, Kyle. Don't be that way. I was only kidding. Don't shut me out like this. You know I hate being ignored."

"Must you be such a child all the time, Forde? You're always like this. We're getting ready for war, you know."

"Well, I'm just trying to help you loosen up. You don't have to be so snappy," Forde said.

"I'm not being snappy. I'm getting in the right mindset, as should you," Kyle told him, stopping and turning to his friend. "You can't keep flying by the seat of your pants all the time. If something happens to you out there..." He stopped short.

Forde waited silently for the rest of the statement, but it never came. After a few moments, he sighed. "Something could happen to any one of us out there."

Kyle sighed and started walking again. "Just...be careful, okay? Don't try to be a hero."

Immediately, Forde was on Kyle's heels again. "I should be saying that to you." He smiled that smile of his. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were worried about me."

"Of course I'm worried about you. I'm worried that you'll do something _extremely_ foolish," Kyle told him. "Then it's lights out and there's no coming back from that. I would have thought you knew that by now, considering your father--" He stopped in his tracks and turned to Forde, an apology on his lips, but it never came out.

Forde had stopped and furrowed his brow thoughtfully, yet he remained silent.

"Forde, I--"

"My father died serving his king, his country," Forde said quietly. "And I'll do the same if need be."

Kyle rarely saw such emotion written on Forde's face. The only other times he'd seen Forde like this was any time Forde discussed his feelings for him. The green-haired knight sighed. "I know that."

"Then stop giving me these speeches about not getting killed."

"Forde, I'm not giving you a speech about not getting killed. I'm giving you a speech about not getting killed for the wrong reason," Kyle corrected with a sigh. "Believe me, I know the hazards that come along with being a soldier, but dying _needlessly_ should not be one of them."

Forde looked at Kyle for a long time, then he finally smiled. "But didn't you know, Kyle? I don't do anything _needlessly_, no matter what the circumstance. That _includes_ hacking away at your hardened exterior." He chuckled to himself and brushed past Kyle as he headed on toward the castle gate.

This time it was Kyle who was on Forde's heels. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The blond knight kept walking. "That I'm gonna make you realize exactly what I mean to you no matter how long it takes."

"Forde, you're wasting your time. I've made peace with the fact that you and I are just friends. It's _you_ who needs to come to _that_ realization," Kyle told him.

"Really, now?" Forde asked, coming to an abrupt halt.

The green-haired knight bumped into his friend and Forde quickly whipped around, putting his arms around him. Kyle could feel his heart all but flutter.

"Then what's with that look on your face?" Forde asked. "What do you feel now?"

"We're...we're in the middle of the hall, Forde."

"I don't care. If this is what it takes to get through to you, I don't care if the whole kingdom sees us," Forde said.

Suddenly a door could be heard opening and they both jumped apart. Franz came out of his room and closed the door behind him. When he saw his brother and Kyle standing there, he smiled. "Ah, you're both ready. We should hurry to the castle gate. Cormag will be there at any minute." He rushed on past them.

Kyle chuckled to himself and looked at Forde. "What happened to not caring if the whole kingdom sees us?"

Forde blushed and tightened his ponytail. "Well, we can't very well sit here in the hall and hold each other. We'll look like dandies."

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--the castle gate...

----------------

"Is EVERYONE here? We've got nearly an entire army suited up for this campaign," King Ephraim said to General Seth as he looked at every guest that had been invited to the wedding. "I thought we would just lead a small infantry in to take care of the matter quickly."

Seth looked at the crowd of soldiers who had gathered at the gate and raised his eyebrows.

"Not to mention the fact that over half of the people here aren't even Renais' soldiers," Ephraim went on.

Seth sighed. "I believe that they mistook my meaning when I made the announcement, Your Majesty."

Ephraim looked at everyone. "Ladies and gentlemen, I greatly appreciate your concern for this village, but from the message I was given, this is only a small disturbance. Cormag will return with further details soon."

Lute arrived late with a spell book in hand and everyone else watched as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd.

Seth looked at Lute strangely. "Excuse me, Lute. What are you doing?"

"I would think it was obvious. You said that able soldiers should prepare for battle," Lute said. "Well, there is no one more able than I."

"But Lute, it's your wedding day," Amelia said. "You should be enjoying your time with your new husband."

Artur came jogging up with a spell book in one hand and a staff in the other.

Lute looked at him, and then looked back at Amelia. "That is precisely what I plan to do."

"People, please understand. Much like King Ephraim said, we are appreciative of the offer, but there is no need for everyone to get involved," Seth announced. "Especially those of you who have traveled such a great distance to be here for the wedding. The soldiers we _will_ be taking with us will be _cavalry only_ in order to move quickly and efficiently to, from and around the attack site."

Complaints ensued:

"Oh, now that's just not fair."

"We wanna help too."

"Just because we're not from here doesn't mean we don't want to lend a hand."

"We want to do everything we can to help."

"Cormag's not from Renais. Why does he get to help and we don't?"

Ephraim gave a great sigh. "Cavalry only and Renais troops only. If that isn't clear cut enough for you, this is who will go into battle: Seth, Forde, Kyle, Franz, Amelia, Neimi and myself. As for the rest, you are guests of Renais; make yourselves at home. We will return by nightfall."

"Neimi? No, she can't go. Not without me," Colm said.

"The king has spoken, Colm," Seth told the young Rogue. "Besides, her talent in long range combat will be advantageous. She is also cavalry. You, on the other hand, are not."

Neimi smiled at Colm. "I'll be alright."

Tana glared at Ephraim and put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"You should stay here with our guests. They need a hostess," Ephraim said to her quietly.

"Ephraim!" Tana nearly shouted.

The king walked over to his queen and whispered to her, "Not now Tana. Please stay. For me. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Tana sighed. "Oh, alright. Since you put it that way."

"Won't you need a healer?" Moulder asked.

"Not if we go into battle the right way," Seth told him.

Eirika looked at her twin and frowned. "Brother, don't leave me behind. I may be the queen of Frelia now, but I was born and raised in Renais. And don't say it's because I'm a girl because you're taking Neimi and Amelia."

Ephraim massaged his temples and was about to speak when Forde spotted Genarog and Cormag above them.

The blond knight raised his eyebrows. "Man, that guy can really move."

"Good, he's back," Ephraim said as Cormag landed. "Everyone else, please go inside the castle. Everything will be taken care of." He looked at Eirika. "Please. These soldiers can take care of it."

No further arguments were presented and the unselected volunteers did as they were told.

Cormag hopped off of Genarog and petted his head. "Good boy." He headed straight over to Seth with his report.

As Cormag spoke quietly of the situation at the border of Renais, Forde found his way over to the rest of their infantry. "Do they really think a group of eight troops will be enough to take care of whatever's going on over there?" Forde asked.

Kyle shrugged. "I don't see why not. If the disturbance is as small as they keep saying it is, then we have nothing to worry about. Besides, it's probably just a couple of brigands causing ruckus."

"I-I don't know. I'd think that the patrol in that area would be able to deal with a hand full of brigands," Neimi put in.

"We should just wait for Cormag to give us the news before we jump to any conclusions," Kyle suggested. "But I'm sure that since the messenger told the king that it was only a small disturbance, then it really is just a small matter."

Seth cleared his throat. "Excuse me, everyone. It seems that the attack was a little more involved than we thought. As you know, we have Renais troops patrolling all over the kingdom. It seems that, from what Cormag told me, this invasion was made by several cyclopes."

"Cyclopes? I thought we did away with all of the monsters in this area," Amelia commented.

Franz looked confused. "Where did they come from?"

"Well, that's what we're going to have to find out: where they came from and why they've entered Renais," Seth told them.

Ephraim had his arms folded across his chest and listened carefully. He turned to Cormag. "What are their numbers?"

"Well, there was a village scout just outside of town saying that three had come into town, but after I arrived, I spotted five," Cormag informed.

"Rampaging, multiplying cyclopes," Forde said, putting his hand on Kyle's shoulder. "If you're looking for a chance to be a hero again, now is it."

----------------

--soon...just outside the small village of Briar...

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"Please help me!" an old man yelled.

A cyclops was about to attack the old villager, lifting his ax to take a mighty swing. Before anyone could respond, Neimi had drawn her long bow and put an arrow through the thing's hand, causing it to drop its ax

"Nice work, Neimi," Cormag called from the sky. He flew on ahead.

"I'll go finish it off," Ephraim said.

"No, Your Highness. You stay with the group. I'll take care of it," Kyle insisted.

"I don't want anyone going off alone," Ephraim said. He looked at Forde. "Go with him. We'll see if we can find the rest of them. Quickly now! We'll meet in the center of town when it's finished."

Kyle rode off quickly, but Forde hesitated.

"Sire, what of Cormag? He's gone off on his own," Forde asked.

"He can take care of himself," Ephraim assured him.

"Besides, I'll have my eye on him," Seth added.

Forde nodded and followed after Kyle. So, what exactly were they trying to say? That Kyle couldn't take care of himself? Kyle was just as able as any other knight in Renais or any other country for that matter. Of course, Cormag was also airborne while everyone else was on the ground. Perhaps that was all their king meant by it. And considering their foes, there's no way they'd be any threat to someone in the sky.

Kyle quickly pulled out a javelin as he rode full speed at the beast. By the time he threw it, the cyclops had wised up and dodged the projectile with ease.

"Fast sucker," Forde said to himself. He kicked his horse to gain momentum.

The cyclops ignored his ax on the ground and charged right at Kyle, knocking both him and his horse to the ground.

"Kyle!"

The green-haired knight had been caught unawares, but when he looked up and saw the cyclops' foot above him, he managed to swiftly roll out of the way.

As the giant let out a frustrated roar, Forde drew his silver sword and when he rode past, slit the beast's stomach. Kyle, still on the ground, unsheathed his own silver sword and plunged it, hilt down, into the soil right behind the beast. The green knight rolled out of the way and like a great tower without firm foundation, the thing fell with a thud loud enough to shake the earth, Kyle's sword running him through.

Forde hopped off his horse. "Kyle, make sure that citizen's okay. I'll make sure 'Big And Tall' is out for the count."

Kyle stood and took a deep breath. "Right." He went to the old man's side. "Are you alright? Are you hurt, mister?"

The older gentleman shook his head, then immediately shook Kyle's hand. "Had it not been for that arrow and your bravery, I would be a dead man."

Kyle shook his head. "You shouldn't thank me. You should thank Sir Forde." He looked over at his friend and saw the cyclops reach for Forde's leg. "Forde!"

The blond knight's reflexes were sharp. He'd lept back and slashed the offending appendage, then he jabbed his sword in the giant's eye.

There were several loud roars from the center of town and the two knights looked at each other.

"Kyle, take care of any injuries he may have. I'll ride over to where that sound came from. It sounded like at least three of them," Forde called to his brother-in-arms as he quickly mounted his steed.

"Wait! You can't handle them alone! Forde!" Kyle yelled as Forde rode off without him. He looked at the old man.

"I'm fine, son. Go help your friend. Quickly," he said.

Kyle nodded. He lept onto his horse and rode as fast as he could toward the center of town.

As soon as Forde was in sight, Kyle watched as a heavy ax plunged into the ground just as Forde moved his horse out of the way. Another cyclops was not far behind the first. Forde hopped up to standing on his horse's saddle as his steed charged full speed ahead at the second cyclops. He quickly brandished his silver lance and just as he neared the mighty beast, he lept off and jammed the spear in the thing's throat. The blond knight tumbled to the ground while his target fell dead.

Kyle was impressed, to say the least, but there was no time for chat. The first cyclops had recovered from his attempt on Forde and had readied his ax for Kyle this time. Kyle rode on, drew a steel sword and slashed the villain across the midsection, staggering his foe for only a moment as he rode on past. But in the same instant he passed him, Kyle was hit in the back by the giant's ax, knocking him from his horse. He grunted as he hit the ground.

"Kyle!" Forde yelled.

Not a few seconds later a javelin plunged through the middle of Kyle's assailant's chest, and a loud wyvern cry was heard. The cyclops collapsed, defeated.

Forde looked up and smiled. "Cormag." He looked at his friend who lay on the ground motionless and he couldn't help panicking. "Kyle." He dismounted and ran to his friend's side, silently praying that he was okay. The blond-haired paladin hadn't really seen what had happened in all the confusion. All he knew was that his best friend was now on his back.

Kyle coughed and groaned.

This brought a smile to Forde's face. At least Kyle wasn't dead. "Kyle, are you alright?"

Kyle sat up and groaned yet again. There was a sharp pain in his upper back and he could feel blood running down it. "Aside from having the wind knocked out of me, I'm fine."

Forde wanted to hug Kyle, but he decided not to, simply patting him on the shoulder instead. "Don't forget your pride. That's been hurt pretty bad too."

Kyle flinched when Forde hit his shoulder, then looked at his friend out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks," he said sarcastically.

"What was going through your head today? I've never seen you so distracted in a battle. You really could've gotten yourself hurt," Forde told the green paladin.

"It's nothing," Kyle replied.

"On your feet, you two," Cormag called to them. "The others are on their way. They've taken care of the other four."

Forde helped Kyle up and looked over at the others as they arrived. "Four more? That makes..." He slowly started counting on his fingers.

"Don't break your brain doing the math. We took care of three and they took care of four. That's seven," Kyle told him. He rolled his eyes.

"Actually, there were only three cyclopes. The other was a young summoner who we've taken captive," Cormag corrected.

Seth and Franz were holding each arm of a female summoner who was trying desperately to get away.

"SHE was the one behind this invasion?" Forde asked.

Ephraim frowned. "Unfortunately, yes. She'd enhanced her summoning ability and altered it to command this small army of cyclopes. She won't tell us what her plan was or whether this was all of her army."

"My guess is that this was all of them. I don't think she would have shown herself if her full arsenal wasn't already out here," Amelia said. She looked at the young woman and frowned. "Isn't that right?"

The summoner frowned. "Curse this village and curse all of you as well. My precious cyclopes..."

"We'll take her back to the castle for questioning," Ephraim said. "I've let the people of the village know to stay in contact with me in case anything else happens. Well done, everyone. Now that the village is cleared of monsters, we can head back to the castle."

----------------

--back at the castle...

----------------

Kyle grunted as he struggled to remove his armor. The beast's ax had just enough jagged edges to tear holes through his armor--an advantage of having weapons in such horrible condition, he supposed. In a way he wished that they'd brought healers with them on this mission, but at least he was the only one who got hurt.

One attempt to pull off the shirt he wore under his armor was enough to make him change his mind. The blood of his injury had dried, causing his shirt to cling to his punctured skin. He took a deep breath and sat as still as possible, hoping the pain would subside long enough for him to make the attempt again.

Unfortunately, there was a knock on his door. (What is it now?) the green knight thought as he slowly stood and made his way to the door. Upon opening it, he saw Forde standing there with a small bucket, a rag and some bandages. "Forde? What are you doing here?"

The blond knight gave a small smile. "Ah, you must think I didn't notice. I know you were hurt out there during that battle."

Kyle frowned. Wasn't it enough that he had to see this man on every campaign they had? Would he be forced to see the blond at every waking moment? In some cases, every sleeping moment as well, considering he somehow managed to share a bed with him on some nights.

"You hid it well from the others," Forde went on. He walked on into the room and closed the door. "But you couldn't hide it from me. Now, let's have a look at you."

"Forde, I'm fine," Kyle insisted, even though he knew he wasn't. But he'd rather pretend that he had things under control than have Forde baby him. He made sure he didn't turn his back to Forde in fear that the damage may look even worse than it felt. "Why don't you go and take a break? You deserve it. You fought well today."

Forde looked at Kyle out of the corner of his eye. "You don't want my help?"

"It's nothing I can't handle."

"So you're _not_ 'fine', then?"

Kyle was about to say something, but Forde pulled him away from the door and walked around behind him.

"Well, it's not so bad," Forde told him. "But I don't know how you planned on handling it alone when it's in such an out-of-the-way place. Go sit down."

"Forde, I don't want your help," Kyle said plainly. He suddenly felt a little tug at the back of his shirt and he fought to keep from screaming out in pain.

"Hm, that's stuck on there, huh?" Forde murmured. He went to his bucket and wrung out his rag a little. "If you don't want to sit down, we can do this standing."

Kyle wanted to object again, but he knew it wouldn't do much good now that Forde had his mind set on the task. (And he calls ME stubborn,) Kyle thought. He took a seat on the bed with his back to Forde.

"That's more like it," the blond soldier said. He slowly and carefully began wetting the back of Kyle's shirt with the rag. "I'm usually the one who's accident prone, you know," he told his friend with a little chuckle.

"Don't you mean careless?" Kyle said. It was good that Forde decided to start up a conversation. It would be a distraction from this strange feeling he was getting--a feeling he'd felt so many times before in Forde's presence. Having Forde sit behind him and clean his wounds was beginning to get to him. He could no longer feel the pain of his injuries...

"I'm not being careless now, am I?" Forde asked.

All Kyle could feel were those practiced motions he'd seen Forde use with his paint brush...the heat from Forde's body...the slight change in Forde's voice as he spoke to him...

"No," Kyle replied, noticing the change in his own voice. He cleared his throat. "No, you're not being careless."

"Good," Forde said, sounding a little more peppy. "Now lift your arms. I'm gonna take this shirt off."

Kyle suddenly panicked. "Oh, you don't have to do that. I'll take care of it." He attempted to take off the shirt, but when the muscles in his back flexed with the movement, he quickly stopped.

Forde tsked him. "You'll learn to listen to me one day. It's gonna be painful enough just holding up your arms for me to do it. You're so stubborn."

Kyle groaned, but he did as Forde told him, and as Forde had said, it was painful enough just holding his arms up. The blond knight slowly removed Kyle's shirt for him, tossed it aside and then Forde started cleaning his wounds for him.

"It is so unlike you to be this completely zonked out," Forde pointed out. "I guess with the wedding and the hangover and then the battle, it's been a pretty weird day for you."

"That's no excuse for how careless I was," Kyle sighed, enjoying the feel of Forde's bare hands as they inspected his back. There was something about the pain of the pressure Forde used to study his injuries that sent slight jolts of pleasure coursing through his body.

Forde put down his cleaning equipment and walked around in front of Kyle with a smile. "If you have a lot on your mind, you'd probably feel better if you share it."

"There's nothing on my mind. Why would there be?" Kyle said, folding his arms, obviously becoming angry.

Forde held up his hands in defense and backed off. "Just trying to help." He was still grinning, however, as he started gathering his things. "Anyway, you should take a bath and I'll bandage you up. Don't forget we're going out for drinks with Gerik and Joshua tonight."

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut in anger. (What has gotten into me? I can't seem to focus,) Kyle thought.

"Kyle?"

Kyle opened his eyes. "Yeah?"

"What's your problem? You have your assignment. Get to work," Forde said playfully.

----------------

_To be continued..._


	13. Chapter 13

a/n: I know it's been a while since I updated, but there was another little story idea calling to me and I had to work on it. It may or may not make its appearance on here.

a/n: As a side note and as a warning, this chapter is like one incomplete thought after another. I wrote this chapter several times and this one was the one that made the most since to me (maybe that's the sign that I should get a beta). It may be a little difficult to follow. For that I apologize. Feel free to bombard me with hate-mail and blast-reviews.

--

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 13_

--

--after a hot bath...

--

It was just like Forde to keep him waiting all evening. What in the world could he be doing? He knew Forde had already taken a bath by the time he'd come to tend to his wounds. Besides, Kyle had already taken long enough bathing since he had to be cautious about the way he moved. The pain of even moving his arms was almost enough to bring tears to his eyes. If only he'd had Forde there to help him bathe...

(What are you thinking?!) Kyle mentally scolded himself. (You'd better get your act together, Kyle or...) He frowned when he couldn't think of a fitting punishment, causing him to groan in irritation and frustration. (Look at yourself, man. You're on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum.) He took a seat on his bed, closed his eyes and took some slow deep breaths...

The green knight's door opened and a blond head popped in. Kyle slowly opened his eyes, not even questioning who would dare open his door without knocking. "What kept you?" When he focused on Forde, he noticed that the blond knight's face was flushed and he was breathing pretty hard. It took all of Kyle's willpower NOT to think what his mind seemed to want to think.

Forde smiled his usual smile. "Okay, I have two surprises for you. One is for right now and one is for later."

Kyle looked confused. Had that been the answer to his question? Surprises? "Two surprises? Forde, what are you--"

The blond opened the door on back and there stood Natasha with a staff in hand. "Surprise!" Forde said.

"Sir Kyle, I heard about your injury," Natasha said. She looked at Forde, then back at Kyle. "Your friend is very excitable."

"You think?" Kyle asked sarcastically.

Natasha looked at Kyle strangely for a moment and blushed.

Kyle noticed the fact that her cheeks had changed colors and raised a brow. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't stare. Did...did something happen to your neck too?" Natasha asked, looking away.

Forde looked confused at first, but when he looked at Kyle's neck, he went wide-eyed and he felt blood rush to his own cheeks. (Woops! How could I not have noticed that all day?!) he thought, nearly panicking. (Last night was just crazy...) He recalled how Kyle got the bruise on his neck and looked away.

Kyle saw Forde's reaction and assumed that it had something to do with when he was drunk. He became slightly flustered and lowered his eyes. "Right. I... That cyclops really let me have it."

"I-I see," Natasha responded. It wasn't her business anyway; she was there to do a job, so she began her handy healing work.

Kyle sighed as he felt the pain of his injuries slowly dull and then vanish completely. He nodded to Natasha. "Thank you so much. That's a lot better." He turned to Forde, ready to change the atmosphere. "I can't believe you disturbed Natasha like this. The castle has its own healer." He began putting on a clean shirt.

"Who? Artur? I didn't have the heart to bother that man on his wedding day," Forde said.

"Besides, I didn't mind. Everyone was so disappointed that we couldn't join in the campaign that we all ended up going back to our rooms at the inn," Natasha said quietly.

Kyle frowned. "Well, it really was only a small disturbance, like the king said. There was no need to take so many."

"Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm missing a night out," Forde told them.

"Forde, don't be so rude! The least we could do is escort her back to the inn!" Kyle basically growled.

"You don't think much of my manners, do you?" Forde asked.

"You've given me no reason to think much of them," Kyle answered.

Natasha couldn't help giggling at them. "Don't worry, Sir Kyle. I have an escort. He's waiting for me in the main hall."

Kyle was about to ask if Joshua was there, but Forde spoke up, "Saleh."

The green-haired gentleman raised an eyebrow at Forde. He looked at Natasha and spotted the obvious reddening of her cheeks. What a crazy, mixed-up set of associates he had. But it was none of his business anyway. "Of course. Then let us escort you to your escort," Kyle offered. He headed for the door with Natasha by his side and Forde at his heels.

--

--the same local tavern...

--

Forde was in the grips of a laughing frenzy. "Hold on." He had to catch his breath from laughing so hard. There were tears running down his face, it was all so funny. "You're talking about giving back all the gold you won last night? You don't even know who you won it from."

Joshua was sitting there in shock. "That's not the way it works, Kyle. Now if you want to feel better about taking gold from those losers, you could just pay for our rounds of beer tonight."

"Don't listen to those two," Gerik said to Kyle. "You've gotta do what you think is best." He waved for their next pitcher of the night. "Besides, I'm paying for drinks."

"'You've gotta do what you think is best'," Joshua repeated. "Yeah, you can do that if you wanna be hated more than you already are. Look, the only thing worse than taking a man's money is insulting his honor. And that's what you'd be doing if you gave it all back. You won that gold fair and square."

Kyle frowned.

"This wouldn't happen to have something to do with my winning back my men's money during the Great War, would it?" Gerik asked Joshua.

Forde just looked at the two Jehanna visitors.

Kyle looked as though he wanted to say something, but he changed his mind.

"Actually it does," Joshua replied.

Gerik chuckled. "Joshua, that was a long time ago. Besides, you came through on your end of the bargain and I came through on mine."

Joshua sighed and tipped back on the rear legs of his chair. "Yeah, yeah. You may know of gambling, but you know nothing of 'the gambler'." Once the pitcher arrived, he quickly grabbed his mug and filled it.

"Wanna bet?" Gerik said as he too filled his mug and began drinking.

Joshua smirked at Gerik.

Clearly there was some connection that only the two involved understood. Some inside joke or something along those lines. Forde couldn't put his finger on it, but something was there. He looked at Kyle. "Aren't you going to drink anything?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "After last night, I don't think so."

Forde shrugged and filled his mug. "Alright. More for me." He grinned to himself; he had a plan...

--

--several, several pitchers later...

--

"I'm just saying that I can't imagine myself getting married," Joshua slurred as he slammed his cards face down on the table. "I fold. I guess today just--"

"--isn't my lucky day," Gerik and Joshua said at the same time.

Joshua looked confused. "How did you know what I was gonna say?"

"It's what you always say when you've been out-classed," Gerik told him as he finished off the beer in his mug.

Forde was laughing like a moron the whole time. He looked at the cards in his hand and squinted at them. "Okay, okay. I've-got-a-good-hand-this-time." His words bled together as if his tongue had trouble moving out of the way of his gums.

(He's drunk out of his mind,) Kyle thought as he looked at the cards in his own hand.

"Wait," Forde said slowly. He leaned toward Kyle. "Weren't you just saying something about marriage?"

"That was Joshua, Forde," Kyle reminded him.

"Was it?" Forde asked, looking at Joshua.

Joshua nodded. "Yeah. That was me. I'm just saying that I can't imagine myself getting married," he repeated. He fingered the cards he'd put on the table. "The thought of settling down with some woman and ruling a kingdom, well, it's just...ridiculous. I'm a mercenary--have been all my life. Why would I want to suddenly settle into some life that I don't even want with some woman I don't even care about? Besides, the viceroy is doing a perfectly fine job of keeping things in order."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "So you never wanted to be king of Jehanna?"

"Nooooooo," Joshua sang.

Gerik spread his cards out on the table for everyone to see: three fives, a nine and a king.

Forde squinted his eyes to see Gerik's cards, then looked at Joshua. "What do you mean, some woman you don't even care about? I thought you were ready to marry...what's-her-face."

"Natasha? Nooooooo," Joshua sang again. "I asked her to come back to Jehanna with me so no one would bother me."

Kyle was the one who looked confused this time. (Bother him?) he thought. He spread his cards out on the table: three jacks and two twos.

"Bother you? How so?" Forde asked with a yawn. "Looks like I win." He spread his cards: two sevens, one ace, one queen and one three.

Gerik laughed at Forde's cards. "Terrible."

Joshua grinned. "The hand I threw away was better than that."

"What?" Forde said, looking truly baffled.

"Forde, you lost," Kyle told him.

"But I have more than both of you," Forde pointed out.

Kyle sighed. "This is poker. I'm not sure what you're trying to play, but for poker you lost."

Forde folded his arms and began to pout. "Fine. I don't care."

Upon seeing Forde pout, Kyle smiled a little, thinking about all the times his blond friend had called him funny-looking. It was Forde who was funny-looking.

"But seriously, when you're in a position like I'm in, everyone's on your back," Joshua went on. "They want to know everything that's going on in your life. Whether you're eating right or whether you're in harm's way or whether you're interested in anyone. I brought Natasha back with me so the entire Jehanna court would stop asking about my love life."

Forde, drunk, nearly tilted right out of his chair, but Kyle was there to keep him balanced. The blond knight laughed a little. "Sorry," he said to Kyle, then looked at Joshua strangely. "So if you're not interested in Natasha, then who ARE you interested in?"

Kyle had to wonder why Forde was asking all these questions when he knew full well that Gerik was who Joshua was interested in. Or at least that was what his blond friend had told him. Perhaps Forde was so drunk that he didn't remember.

"I can't say," Joshua said with a smile. "But believe me, I'll never feel again the way I do now. Not even gambling can compare."

Kyle noted that Gerik, even as he was downing yet another mug of beer, smiled.

"I mean, why have a decoy when you could just bring in the real thing?" Forde asked, looking confused.

Joshua started chuckling. "Because the court would most definitely not approve." He emptied the rest of their sixth or so pitcher into his mug.

With the way Joshua swayed and the way Forde struggled to keep his eyes open, Kyle was glad he'd decided not to drink tonight. Gerik, however, seemed perfectly fine, aside from the tell-tale glazing of his eyes.

"But why wouldn't they approve? You love who you love and that should be good enough for them, right?" Forde slurred, going squinty-eyed so he could focus on Joshua.

"Ah, what an idealistic little world you live in, Forde," Joshua said. "A place where love is the answer to every question and the solution to every problem. Where men only love women--"

Gerik put his hand on Joshua's shoulder. "Alright, buddy. You've said enough tonight."

Joshua brushed Gerik's hand away and shook his mug at him, spilling his beer all over the place. "I haven't said enough! I won't be silenced!" He stood and nearly toppled on over, but Gerik quickly got to his feet and put his arms around him. "I'm sick of this hiding and secrets and pretending! And it's all your fault." Even after Gerik seated him steadily, Joshua continued to point his mug at 'the enemy'--Forde and Kyle--and spilling the remaining contents all over.

Kyle raised his eyebrows as he noticed that half the bar had turned their attention to their group.

Forde was laughing like an idiot, drawing even more attention to them. "It's our fault? What did we do?"

Gerik put his hands on Joshua's shoulders once again. "Calm down, buddy."

Joshua looked confused. "Wait, maybe I shouldn't blame them. They didn't do anything..." He growled. "...besides live in this stupid world where the rules of nature say that boys like girls." He stood, nearly falling again, and held up his now empty mug for a toast. "Well, I like Gerik, alright? No! No, that's not it. I _love_ Gerik." He turned to Gerik and leaned against him. "I love you, Gerik."

Poor Gerik rolled his eyes and he supported Joshua's weight as best he could. "I love you too, Joshua. NOW have you said enough?"

"Yeah. I think I have," Joshua said. "I'm gonna go outside and throw up now." He slowly started stumbling toward the door.

Gerik shook his head and followed Joshua. "I'm really sorry about this, guys. We're gonna call it a night. Regardless of what it looks like, we had fun. We should do this again sometime." When he caught up to his stumbling friend, he started saying something to Joshua about the fact that he always holds his alcohol even when he says he won't.

Kyle was astounded. "Drinking turns people into jerks."

"Are you just realizing that?" Forde asked with a little giggle. He was slouched in his chair and had his head leaned back.

"Why would anyone repeatedly do this to his body and call it fun?" Kyle asked.

Forde was suddenly right in Kyle's face and the green-haired knight had to back off. "What's your idea of fun, then, Sir I'm-so-much-better-than-everyone-around-me?" Forde asked. He laughed a silly little laugh. "Oh, that name was awful. Give me a minute to think up a better one."

Kyle ignored the name-calling. His blond companion smelled as if his clothes had been soaked in beer. "Fun?"

"Oh, that's right. You have no idea what that word means," Forde said, cackling loudly.

"Hmph. Maybe it's time to get you home too. You're making a scene," Kyle told his friend, helping him to his feet and heading toward the door.

Forde shook his head and nearly fell over, but Kyle supported him. "No, Joshua made a scene." The blond put his arms around his comrade. "Aren't you glad I didn't tell everyone about us?" He quickly pecked his green-haired companion on the cheek.

"Forde," Kyle groaned in irritation.

--

--back at the castle...

--

Kyle let out a great sigh and helped Forde take a seat on his bed. He sure hoped he wasn't as heavy to Forde last night as Forde was to him now. This guy was like a ton of bricks--a very giggly ton of bricks at that. The blond knight was obviously well beyond wasted.

"I'm surprised you're still awake," Kyle grumbled.

Forde threw his arms around Kyle's waist and leaned heavily against him. "Of course I'm still awake because I'm not asleep." He leaned back and narrowed his eyes at Kyle. "Who's this guy?" he seemed to ask himself out loud.

The green knight rolled his eyes. "Forde, you're an annoying drunk." He had no idea why he decided to bring Forde back to his room; he should have just taken the blond back to his own room.

"Who...oooooo do you think you're talking to, handsome?" Forde asked, looking at Kyle for a while. "Oh, Kyle. It's you. Hold on. I have a present for you." He let Kyle go, stood back up and struggled to get his hand into his pocket.

Kyle watched all of this sloppy movement and was thoroughly amused. (I sure hope I wasn't like this when I was drunk,) he thought. Then again from what Forde had said, he was nothing more than a gambling fool. Well, that and he'd wanted Forde to...do sexual things to him. Kyle frowned at the thought.

"Ah, here we are," Forde slurred. "This is for you. I thought about how hurt you were today, your pride and all--"

The green knight narrowed his eyes at Forde.

"--and I went into town. I hope you like it," Forde continued, handing Kyle a small glass wyvern with outstretched wings.

Kyle was speechless; he simply stared at the figurine.

"I noticed that you didn't have one of those in your collection, so I thought that maybe you should," Forde said, snickering idiotically as he took a seat on Kyle's bed again.

"Forde...," Kyle was all he could say at first, still staring at the figurine. "You found this right here in town?"

"Yeah. I had to ask around and find a private...um...a private...vendor," Forde told him. He frowned. "You don't like it?"

"I do. Of course, I do. Thank you, Forde." Kyle continued to study the fantastic piece of artwork in the palm of his hand. "Y-you didn't have to go and get me a gift. Especially such an out of the way one. It must have cost a fortune."

"You're worth every bit of it and more," Forde said, leaning closer to Kyle. "Now stop admiring that little thing. I'm getting jealous." He grinned. "I'm glad you like it, though." He grabbed Kyle's wrists, took his new figurine and put it with the rest, then smiled up at his friend, yet he didn't say anything.

Kyle began feeling uncomfortable. "Well, I should take you to your room. You must be tired."

The blond shook his head overly dramatically. "I'm not..." He gave him a sly look. "So, what made you bring me here to _your_ room? Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

Something in Kyle's mind recalled something about being taken advantage of, but he couldn't quite place it. He pondered it for a long time, but nothing came back to him. Then he thought about what Forde had just said and frowned. "What?"

"I think you brought me to your room to take advantage of me while I'm drunk and vulnerable," Forde slurred. "So you can do things to me that you want to do and so I won't remember the next day." He pulled himself to standing and wobbled a little, but smiled nonetheless. He kept a hold of Kyle's wrists.

"Is that what you did to me last night?" Kyle asked quietly. He tried to seem calm about it, but he knew that he would be infuriated if Forde told him the wrong thing.

"No."

For some reason that answer disturbed Kyle more than the alternative. (And why not?) was what he almost asked, but he stopped himself. No, he didn't WANT Forde to do something like that...did he?

"I think you got drunk so you could take advantage of my weakness," Forde went on.

(What sense does that make?) Kyle thought. He was caught off guard when Forde pulled him closer. "Okay. I'll buy that bridge for now. So what did I do?" Kyle asked. Since alcohol was like a truth serum, he figured he could get the whole story from his unsteady friend.

Forde giggled. "I don't remember." He finally let Kyle go and fell backwards onto his bed. "Good night."

"Oh, no you don't. Sleep in your own bed. Besides, you said you weren't tired," Kyle said.

"I like your bed," Forde told him out of nowhere. "You know. I like the idea of it."

Kyle squinted his eyes. (He's not making sense at all.) "What are you talking about?"

Forde sat up slowly and looked at his friend. "I'm saying that I can get used to the idea of sleeping here. I like it here...in your room...in your bed...with you."

Kyle felt himself getting hot under the collar and he looked at Forde strangely. "Well, tell me this. Since you think _I_ got drunk last night so that I could take advantage of YOUR weakness, is that why _you_ did it tonight?"

"Huh?" Forde asked, looking truly befuddled. He stifled a laugh. "What sense does that make?"

Frustration was banging on Kyle's forehead and he groaned, aggravated. "Forde--"

"I love it when you say my name," Forde half murmured, half moaned.

That made Kyle forget what he was about to say in the first place and he looked away.

"And I love the embarrassed looks you get when I try to flirt with you. It's hard to be subtle with a romantic dimwit, you know," Forde slurred.

Anger took the place of whatever else Kyle had been feeling and he scowled down at Forde. "I told you before that you and I are just friends--"

Forde sighed loudly. "Kyle, we're not," he said slowly. "We're not 'just friends'. If we were, you wouldn't have brought me here. You would have taken me to my own room. You don't have to be scared to admit that you're thinking of putting moves on me while I'm not looking." He chuckled and lay back on the bed, stretching his arms over his head.

(He can't even stay serious for his own sake,) Kyle thought. He closed his eyes in hopes that it would alleviate some of his anger. Or was it to keep from seeing Forde's body stretched out before him? Of course that wasn't it! "Forde, I'm tired. Will you please go to your room so _I_ can get some sleep at least?"

"I don't wanna leave. Please, don't make me go," Forde begged, getting to his feet. He put his arms around Kyle and sighed, "Please, Kyle." He lay his head on Kyle's chest.

That last 'Please, Kyle' made the green-haired knight's heart jump into his throat and his blood rush through his veins. He felt the blond lean heavily against him.

"Your heart's beating fast," Forde whispered. "Is this what you've been waiting for?"

"Of course not. You startled me, is all," Kyle said, finally opening his eyes. Was that it? Is that what had him on edge like this? Being startled?

Forde quickly fell back onto Kyle's bed again and chuckled.

"If you don't stop jumping up and falling down like that, you're gonna make yourself sick," Kyle warned with a frown. He really wasn't in the mood to clean up after a drunk man.

"You know, I've been thinking about what Joshua said to Gerik," Forde said as he wallowed on Kyle's bed.

Kyle's eyes followed the drunken body strewn and writhing on his bed as if hypnotized. He'd barely heard what Forde said. "What?"

"You know, about how he loved Gerik," Forde went on. He stopped moving and looked at Kyle. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Forde, you've known me all my life. Of course I haven't been in love," Kyle said. The last part of his statement tapered off.

"Well, listen. We're in the king's army, but that's no excuse NOT to get married and have children. My father did it. So if that kind of life would make you happy, I say go for it."

(Where is this coming from all of a sudden?) Kyle thought.

"I mean, I'm sure there's someone who would gladly bare strong children to you. For you. Bare your children," Forde rambled. "That's what you want, right?" Forde looked away. "Because it's pretty obvious that you don't want me," he added quietly.

It was the look on Forde's face that woke him up. The knowledge that he'd painted Forde's expression into this completely and utterly saddened one before him. The green-haired knight didn't quite know what to say to that. Forde was like his brother, after all. He didn't want to see him in pain.

"I can't say that I haven't thought about it," Kyle told his friend. "Getting married and having children, that is. But I just don't see where that would make my life any better. I'm perfectly happy with the way my life is now."

"You don't seem happy," Forde said.

"I am."

"I'll bet you can be happier."

Kyle just looked at Forde strangely.

"I can make you happier," Forde said.

Kyle raised his eyebrows and his face reddened.

"Maybe you'd like to have a place of your own. Outside the palace. What do you say to that?"

"Forde, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my parents' home. It's just outside the palace walls and right now it's empty. And it's mine...and Franz's."

"Are you asking me to come and live with you?"

"Why not? It would be better than living here. We can still be in the king's army. We'll just be a little farther away by a few steps. My dad did it," Forde informed him.

"I don't know..."

"Come on. This place is cramped and the walls are paper thin," Forde whined.

"This isn't just you making a drunken claim, is it? I mean, you won't change your mind about it once you're sober, will you?"

"I don't know. I might," Forde replied with a silly grin.

"Forde..." Kyle had to take a deep breath to remain calm. Living outside the castle would be a welcomed change. Maybe a change of atmosphere wouldn't be so bad.

"Just remind me of what I said if I don't bring it up, okay?" Forde said. He put his arms around Kyle's waist. "I think it would be fun, even though it's bound to be a lot of...hard...work...awwwwwwww."

Kyle chuckled. "We'd have to fix the place up, perhaps make some repairs, clean it up a little. How long has it been since you went there?"

"Franz and I would go once a year just to pay tribute to our parents. We never really intended on living there again, so we didn't worry about fixing the place up." Forde let out an exasperated sigh. "Yet we didn't bother to sell it either. I don't know." He laughed quietly. "Why do you have me thinking about this sad stuff?"

"Well, you brought up the house, Forde, not me."

"Oh, yeah," Forde said. "I guess I just want to share an aspect of my life with you."

Kyle was stunned. "But we already do just about everything together."

"Yeah, well, I want more. So, is it a yes or a no? Will you come and live with me at my parents' house?"

Kyle knew that if he said no he would break Forde's heart. But if he said yes, the blond would take it the wrong way. (Wait. Did he just say that he wanted more?) Kyle thought.

Forde looked at his silent friend for a long time. "It's just a yes or no answer. It's not like I want you to write an essay. We're not determining the fate of the world here."

"Let me think about it," Kyle said. "I don't want to commit to something like this unless I'm sure I'll follow through with it. Alright?"

"Hm. That sounds like a no."

"It's a temporary no, then. Can I please get some sleep now?" Kyle asked. He finally took a seat on the bed, removed his shoes and lay down beside Forde, closing his eyes.

"Fine, but it'll leave you open to be marked again," Forde told him with a grin. "Kidding."

"Hm," Kyle mumbled. He waited for a moment, then with his eyes still closed asked, "Well? Aren't you leaving?"

"Nah," Forde said. He moved closer and lay comfortably snuggled against Kyle.

"You're like a big kid," Kyle told him.

The green-haired knight opened his eyes and watched Forde close his. Unfortunately, after a moment he realized that Forde's hand was moving up and across his chest.

"Forde...," Kyle said. He knew his friend was still awake.

Forde slowly opened his eyes and moved in even closer. "Kyle, I'm gonna kiss you," he sang.

It had done no good to warn him because Forde's lips were already on his and Kyle did nothing to challenge or resist, yet he didn't respond to the kiss right away. He refused to give any indication that he enjoyed this. Kyle had it set in his mind that since Forde was drunk, the blond would probably fall asleep soon anyway. All Kyle had to do was lie here and Forde would soon get bored and drift off...

But a lazy tongue swept across Kyle's lips, practically begging to be let in. That was when Kyle began to question his willpower. If he could remain firm in his decision that they were only friends, Forde would have no choice but to agree...

A second, more insistent sweep of Forde's tongue made Kyle regret the fact that he didn't just push his blond friend away and tell him to go to sleep. (But I'm stronger than this, aren't I,) Kyle thought, noting his own rapid, ragged breathing...

Kyle finally opened his mouth to his blond friend and reached up to finger the hair at the nape of Forde's neck. (There's no harm in it. He's drunk. He won't remember what happened anyway,) Kyle thought.

"I made my mark on you last night," Forde whispered. "Why don't you make your mark on me tonight?" He slowly but roughly ran his fingers through Kyle's hair and kissed him again.

"Mm," was Kyle's only response. Leaning up, he began suckling and gently biting Forde's neck right at the pulse point and he listened as Forde made pleasured sounds. (Man, he's really vocal,) Kyle thought. "Shh," he said, trying to silence the blond a little. Anyone in the castle could probably hear them, but he had to admit that hearing Forde make those sounds was doing something to him.

"Kyle...," Forde moaned quietly. He crawled on top of the green knight and kissed him hungrily.

Hearing Forde moan his name was way more effective than he'd ever thought it would be and Kyle kissed his blond friend just as enthusiastically. Then he did something he wasn't expecting himself to do. He rolled them over so that he was on top of Forde, kissing the blond knight even more feverishly.

"Kyle...," Forde sighed. "I have a confession to make."

"Hm?" Kyle asked as he started back working on Forde's neck.

"I'm not drunk," Forde said.

Kyle halted immediately and looked at Forde for a long time.

Forde smiled. "I didn't drink tonight. Not enough to get drunk anyway."

It took Kyle a while to come back from his lust-induced high. "..." He looked away. "...?" He looked back at Forde. "...!" He closed his eyes. "What?"

"I'm not drunk. Now don't be mad," Forde began. "I know that the only reason you let yourself go was because you thought I wouldn't remember."

Kyle could only stare at him for a long time. "You planned this? You planned on me doing this?"

"What can I say? I'm wittier at night," Forde said simply.

Kyle growled and quickly rolled off of Forde. "Get out."

"Listen, we were really making progress when you thought I was drunk."

"Get out," Kyle repeated.

"Don't say that you don't want me now. You were pretty willing a few seconds ago."

Kyle went red and temporarily lost his ability to speak.

"Can't we at least talk about this?"

"I should've known something was wrong when you didn't pass out once we got here," Kyle muttered. "I can't believe you acted like you were drunk this whole time."

"Fine. If you don't want to talk about it WITH me, I'll talk about it TO you," Forde said. "It's obvious that you and I mean a lot to each other. We're best friends. We'd have to."

"Forde...," Kyle said.

"And the first time we kissed made me realize that there was something more to the way I felt about you. I was confused at first too."

"Forde..."

"But then the second time we kissed, it felt righter. Yet you've been pulling away from me every time I tried to get close to you."

"Forde..."

"Now I know we're two guys and neither of us wants to be a dandy, but when we were together last night, you were so..." Forde blushed.

Kyle just looked at him.

"And then tonight, I saw that it wasn't just because you were drunk. You were really like that of your own free will. I mean, it really made me understand why you were so sloppy today against those cyclopes."

"Just had to bring that up, didn't you," Kyle muttered.

"Yes, I did. Because you almost got yourself killed _needlessly_ when all you had to do was tell me what was going inside that thick skull of yours...," Forde told him. "Well, will you tell me now?"

Kyle was silent for a long time as his eyes searched his room for an answer or a way out of this. Unfortunately all he could think about were all the times they'd touched and kissed and the way his heart and mind raced in each case. And he especially recalled the moment after the wedding when Forde had him cornered and pressed up against the wall. That desperation to extinguish the need that had built up after so many days and weeks of close encounters with the blond knight...

When Kyle finally looked back at Forde, he saw a smile on the blond's face.

"What do you know... They say that actions speak louder than words," Forde began. "And that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, your expression told me everything."

Kyle looked confused.

"Not THAT expression," Forde laughed. "_That_ one tells me, 'I'm completely lost'. The last expression--the look in your eyes--told me everything I ever could have wanted to know."

Kyle looked even more confused.

"You've gotta stop doing that," Forde laughed again. "I know you're not big on words, so you show that you care through your actions. Maybe I should have remembered that." He lay his head on Kyle's chest. "You know, you're funny-looking, but you're kinda cute for a homely-looking joker."

"Forde!"

--

_To be continued..._


	14. Chapter 14

a/n: Okay, so in the beginning of this whole little story, I said that things wouldn't be very graphic. Well, I must have lied. Sorry about that. That's just a warning before you move ahead. It's not too, too wild, but sexual type things are happening, so watch out. (Also, I may need some "direction"/"advice"/"constructive criticism". I'm not so good at writing those kinds of scenes.)

a/n: Hmmmmmmm... For a story that was only intended to be a one shot, it sure is long (it seems I've said that once before)...--

a/n: Once again, thanks for the reviews. You people are being very patient with me on how slowly these chapters are getting out. I appreciate that. And you're all so very nice when you review. Gracias! Arigato! Danke! Merci! Grazie! Spasiba! (Wow... Three whole months since my last update, huh? That's not good.)

a/n: A little more complaining. This chapter seems a little choppy to me for some reason. Let me know if any of you are confused or just don't like the flow.

--

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 14_

--

--the same night, Kyle's quarters...

--

Forde's lips on the material covering Kyle's chest made the green knight gasp quietly. He wasn't comfortable with any of this. It seemed that Forde had rather naughty intentions, especially since the blond's hand was snaking its way underneath Kyle's shirt.

"I don't know, Forde," Kyle murmured, his breath hitching as Forde's fingers found a hardening nub.

"Hm? What don't you know?" Forde asked, halting his assault.

"I don't know what we're doing."

Forde chuckled. "I know what _I'm_ doing. I'm feeling you up. And it looks like you're just lying there all nervous. You're kinda like a girl that way."

"WHAT?!" Kyle growled.

"Hey, don't take it personally. I mean, shouldn't there naturally be a girl in the relationship? Otherwise, we don't know who's gonna be doing the plugging," Forde said with a wide grin on his face.

Kyle's eyes became wide in disbelief and he blushed like mad. ('Plugging'?! So raw! Is he sure he isn't drunk?) he thought. "Wait a minute! I don't think so. You think _you're_ the dominant one here?"

"Well, that's what it looks like. I always make all the moves, so I must be, right?"

"Oh, no. I don't think so," Kyle said. "Besides, you LOOK like a girl. Doesn't that mean that I'm the dominant one?"

"It's all about personality, Kyle. Looks have nothing to do with it. I have the dominant personality," Forde said with a laugh. Then he thought for a second. "Hey, I don't look like a girl!"

"With all that hair you do. And you're kinda pretty in the face on top of it," Kyle told him. He squeezed his eyes shut. (I refuse to believe that I just said that out loud,) he thought.

Forde blushed a little and frowned. "Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?"

Kyle rolled away from Forde. "I don't even know why we're talking about this. It's not like we're gonna be doing something like that anyway."

Forde frowned more. (He didn't even bother to answer my question,) he thought. The blond quickly spooned up behind Kyle and put his arm around his waist. "See? You're playing hard to get, just like a woman." Then he added in a whisper, "Oh, and by the way, I know you don't remember, but you asked me to do it to you last night when you were drunk."

Kyle meant to comment on what Forde had said, but his attention immediately went to the feeling of something poking his rear end through his pants. He was sure that Forde didn't have anything in his pockets, so it could only be one thing. Blood rushed straight to the green-haired knight's crotch, but he tried to remain calm.

After a long silence Forde raised his eyebrows. "Kyle? Are you asleep?"

Kyle told himself that he needed to regain control. If he said something now, his voice would give him away. Maybe it would be best if Forde thought he'd fallen asleep.

Unfortunately, Forde wouldn't leave him alone. The blond knight started kissing the back of Kyle's neck and he moved to spoon up tighter against the green paladin. The surprise friction of crotch against rear coerced a quiet moan from each of them.

"I knew you weren't sleeping," Forde whispered.

Kyle could practically hear the smile on Forde's face when he said it. "Shut up," Kyle retorted, his voice trembling slightly. He heard Forde chuckle, the movement causing even more friction between them. "Forde..." Kyle could hear desperation in his own voice and he cursed himself for being unable to control the way it came out.

Forde's hips jerked forward, obviously catching him off guard, and suddenly the situation wasn't so humorous anymore. It took a couple of slow forward motions of his hips for Forde to realize how painfully hard he was. (Now when did that get like that?) the blond thought. He wondered if Kyle was feeling the same way. The blond's hand slid down between his friend's legs and he could feel the green knight's organ throbbing even through his pants.

"Mm, this is nothing like a girl, though," Forde said quietly, almost as if between dreams. He slowly slid his hand up and down the material covering the hardened appendage. (I've done this to myself enough times to know how good it feels,) he thought.

Kyle had intended to tell Forde to get his hand off of him, but the only thing that came out was his own ragged breathing.

The blond knight was a little disappointed that he wasn't getting that strange noise he'd gotten out of Kyle the previous night when he was drunk, but this little panting sound was okay. Forde smiled and started licking Kyle's ear as he stroked Kyle's throbbing need.

Forde's breath and tongue on his ear were almost more than Kyle could stand. Were there really things in life that should be enjoyed so much? (Especially things you didn't even know you would enjoy?) Kyle thought. He felt Forde's hardness rubbing against him again and it took the green-haired knight a moment to realize that his hips were moving in time with Forde's. (Oh, no.)

And finally there was that little sound Forde had been longing for--a sound so uncharacteristic and so unexpected from Kyle--that quiet, high-pitched whimpering. And this time he was doing it over and over again, driving Forde out of his mind. A loud moan surprised the blond and he couldn't be sure if it belonged to Kyle or him. All he knew was that his hips began thrusting wildly and his hand pumped Kyle with equal vigor.

"Forde...," Kyle gasped. "We should--"

His statement was never completed...

--

--in the morning...

--

Kyle awoke from what seemed to be a very vivid dream. No, a nightmare. And had he not had someone's arm around his waist, he would have been assured that it was a nightmare. But alas, this horrific dream was indeed a reality. He had once again slept with Forde--(The second night in a row,) Kyle thought--and this time things had gotten dangerous. That blond nitwit had lied about being drunk, playing the part perfectly he had to admit. (I guess he wasn't really lying about it since I didn't ask him if he was drunk,) the green knight thought. Either way, he had suddenly been forced into a point in their relationship where Kyle couldn't deny his feelings for Forde. What was he denying them for anyway? It was only that he felt more than friendly feelings for the red paladin. They'd been best friends forever, so now they were just _better_ best friends... Best friends who kissed each other and touched each other in intimate places and made each other--

The green-haired knight stopped short. He couldn't believe what they'd done last night, but what he couldn't believe more was the fact that he'd fallen asleep with sticky pants. (Embarrassing, but at least I still have clothes on.) How was he supposed to face Forde after a night like that?

Kyle just lay awake staring at nothing in particular at first, but then his eyes drifted over to the glass wyvern on his nightstand among the other stone and wooden figurines. It really stood out. His previous figurines consisted of neither wyverns nor glass. It made him wonder what had possessed Forde to give him something like this. He had no particular interest in wyverns, nor did he ever give signs that he might be interested in glass figurines. Not to mention the fact that there was really no reason for Forde to get him a gift in the first place. It wasn't his birthday, nor was it a significant holiday. The blond had said that it was to cheer him up because he'd been injured or something of that nature. Now it was bugging Kyle because he really should have been the one to get a gift for Forde. Sure, it was unexpected, but Forde had saved HIS life yesterday... What in the world do you give to someone like Forde anyway...?

Forde awoke and lay very still. He didn't want to wake Kyle, but he also wanted to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, he was too excited to sleep. At least this would give him time to think about things as they were now. Forde could clearly remember the look on Kyle's face when he'd questioned him about how he felt. Affirmation of Kyle's "emotional investment". Forde also recalled one fine day when he and Kyle had been punished to wash clothes during their mission in Grado:

_"Oh. I was saying that I do like having you around. Just like you said before, you keep me on my toes. And no matter how annoyed I get with you, I wouldn't change anything about the way we are," Kyle had said. Then he added, "Actually, I think I said it better the first time I said it, but you weren't listening."_

Not particularly grand as far as words were concerned, but his feelings had been expressed verbally nonetheless. (Makes me wonder how he said it the first time,) Forde thought. Now if only Kyle could just say something similar about their love for each other. It was a foreign feeling for both of them, but that didn't stop Forde from confessing that he had strong feelings for Kyle. Then again, it had taken Kyle a long time in their friendship to say something like that...

He'd just had a night to remember with Kyle of all people. It hadn't been easy to get the green knight into bed with him, but Forde found that pleasuring Kyle was more fun than he imagined it would be. (And I haven't even gotten started yet,) he thought. He couldn't suppress a chuckle.

Kyle felt Forde move and quickly held his breath. (What's he laughing about? What's he doing awake?)

Forde felt that Kyle had stopped breathing, but he figured that he shouldn't bother him just yet. The blond was a little too surprised that he had that sticky evidence inside his pants. Of course, Kyle had to have some too. They'd basically passed out after their unexpected activity.

"Forde."

Forde was astounded that Kyle would even speak to him. "G-good morning."

"Let me go. I'm going to take a bath and then I'm going to the training yard," Kyle told him slowly. "I expect to see you out there."

Forde hadn't been aware of his grip on Kyle, but he didn't let him go. "Wait a minute. Aren't we gonna talk about what happened last night?

Kyle groaned. "Do we have to? I mean, I think it's pretty obvious what happened. Just let me go. I want to get this stuff off me."

"I can't believe you're just going to ignore this!"

"I'm not ignoring it. I'm just not talking about it. Now let me go."

Forde rolled his eyes. "You're not going anywhere. Not until we establish this." He gripped Kyle even tight.

"Establish what?"

"That there's more here than just friendship."

"You blond idiot. That's obvious now."

Forde looked surprised. "Huh?"

"Just give me a little time to sort out my mind. Everything's tangled up there."

Forde laughed out loud.

"What?"

"So this is what it took to get you to realize there's more to us? I should've done this from the start."

Kyle growled. "Let me go."

"Oh, don't be mad, Kyle. I mean, you DID just let me have my way with you last night. Besides, you're still not fighting against me now. You know you could get away if you really wanted to put forth the effort."

"I'm gonna kill you as soon as I get the chance," Kyle said. He tried to roll away from Forde, but the blond knight was holding on too tight. "You are such a jerk," he murmured.

"Come on. I just wanna hold you a little longer," Forde said.

Kyle blushed and was thankful that his back was to Forde. The green-haired knight decided to cooperate since it wasn't so bad having Forde hold him like this. But after a long and somewhat comfortable silence, Kyle spoke. "Forde...?"

"Hm?" Forde asked, sounding as if he may drift off to sleep again.

"Who do you think is the girl with Cormag and General Seth?"

Forde laughed out loud, sounding fully awake now.

Kyle growled. "What are you laughing about? It's just a question."

"But you can't really believe all that girl stuff I was saying last night. I was just saying that to get under your skin," Forde said, still laughing. "I mean, we're both men. Neither of us is a girl."

"Well, you're a little too convincing when you're kidding around," Kyle said.

"I have to admit though. That was a good question. I wonder which one of them is on the receiving end," Forde said. "I mean, either one would surprise me." He laughed a little. "Who do you think is the girl with Gerik and Joshua?"

"Joshua," Kyle and Forde said at the same time.

"This is just wrong," Kyle told his quietly chuckling friend. "It's not our business who does what in other people's relationships." He made a move to get up, but Forde was still holding him.

"Just a little longer...," Forde said, sleep heavy in his voice again.

Forde was so sappy about things. Maybe all his blond friend wanted was some sort of confirmation. Words were of little use when it came to something concrete. Kyle knew that. Forde should have known too. (I wonder if he was serious about my moving in with him. That should confirm things, shouldn't it?) Kyle thought.

Kyle hesitated for a moment. "I was...thinking about what you asked me last night..."

"I asked you a lot of things. You're gonna have to be more specific," Forde said with another sleepy chuckle.

"When you asked me to live with you at your parents' place," Kyle elaborated.

Forde's smile faded. "Yeah?"

"Well, I was thinking that it wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Forde released Kyle and sat up so he could stare the green-haired knight in the eyes. "You want to?! I mean, you'd do that?"

Kyle cringed at Forde's enthusiasm and immediately began regretting it, but he nodded anyway.

"Wow. That's great. I'm so glad. What made you change your mind?"

"I told you that I needed time to think about it. I didn't say no."

"You said it was a temporary no," Forde reminded him.

"I only said that to get you off my case about it because you were 'drunk' at the time. Now are you still willing to have me live with you or not?"

Forde smiled. If he was looking for a sign that Kyle felt something for him, this was it. "Of course."

"Good. Now get up. We have training to do," Kyle said as he rolled out of bed.

Forde frowned and plopped back down on the bed. "Awwwww, but I was gonna sleep in some more. Sleep in with me, Kyle," he whined.

"Don't be such a crybaby, lazy-bones. Get up."

Forde groaned and pulled the covers up over his head.

Kyle tried to pull the covers off of him, but the blond knight had a death grip on them. "Forde." He pulled with all his might.

That was when Forde decided to let go of the covers, sending Kyle stumbling backwards and landing on his butt. The blond burst into laughter. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

Kyle glared at him from his seat on the floor. "No, you're not."

"You're right. I'm not," Forde said. He climbed out of bed and extended a hand to help Kyle to his feet.

Kyle grabbed Forde's hand and pulled him off balance. Unfortunately, Kyle hadn't thought about where he was pulling the blond off balance to, so Forde ended up kneeing Kyle in the chin. Kyle caught him around the hips in mid fall, so now the blond was doubled over his shoulder with hands planted on the floor to keep from landing on his head.

"You know something," Forde said.

"No, what?"

"I'm not playing with you anymore."

--

--later...

--

Kyle had finished dressing for training and he knew he would have to wait a while for Forde to get done, so he lingered in the main hall. (And he calls ME the girl. He takes forever to get ready to do anything,) he thought.

Kyle frowned. He never thought things would end up this way. He was always under the impression that he liked girls, even though none really appealed to him. And he'd never even considered being with another man. So now what? Was he officially a dandy since he let Forde do those things to him? (It was all happening so fast, but it felt really good,) Kyle thought.

Forde didn't seem to mind any of it at all. (Maybe that really does make me the girl!) the green paladin pondered. (Worrying so much over things that shouldn't really matter.) But it did matter, didn't it? (Not as long as no one knows about us. It's no one's business anyway.) He frowned at the thought. (...What next?) He didn't want to be known to Forde as 'the girl in the relationship'. Sure, Forde said that he was only joking, but it's always been said that within humor lies truth. Which meant that Forde eventually planned on 'plugging' the green-haired knight.

(NOOOOO!! I won't let that happen!) Kyle thought. Just the idea of it was giving him chills. (A dominant personality, huh? Well, I'll show him dominant.)

That was when he ran into Lute, who looked at him and waved her greeting.

Kyle had to mentally slap himself back to the present. "Hi, Lute. So how's the married life treating you?"

Lute gave a great sigh. "I never would have proposed that a monk could have so much energy to expend. But I suppose that at this rate I will have no problem becoming pregnant."

Kyle closed his eyes. "Too much information."

"Well, you asked how married life was and I told you," Lute said.

"Where is Artur anyway?" Kyle asked, rolling his eyes.

"He had to meet with the king's mages," Lute told him simply.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Lute? Aren't YOU one of the king's mages?"

"Of course," Lute replied. "It goes without saying that I am the best."

"Well, what are you doing here instead of meeting with the other mages?"

"Ah. I was asked to meet with King Ephraim for the questioning of the young summoner the cavalry imprisoned yesterday."

Kyle nodded.

"I find her unique ability to command monsters quite fascinating and I would like to know more about it," Lute went on. "Had I known that one could alter his or her abilities in such a way, I may have instead chosen to become a necromancer."

Kyle looked a little confused. "A necromancer? Why a necromancer?"

"I would think that it was obvious. I would like to alter the ability to command dead human beings into the ability to command living human beings," Lute said.

Kyle looked worried. He wanted to ask why she would want an ability like that, but he was afraid of the answer he might receive. Instead, he simply nodded and forced a smile.

--

Forde looked around the training yard, sure that Kyle had made it out there before he had. Unfortunately, he was wrong. The only people he found out here were Seth and Cormag. Those two were inseparable it seemed and they were always training. It was an inspiration to see. Forde had to take a seat and he began sketching them as they sparred. It would be an odd sketch since they were moving around so much.

But soon the two stopped and began talking. Forde almost wished he could hear what they were saying to each other. It was so rare to see Cormag this talkative. The two seemed to be having a good time. Even though Forde and Kyle were basically, somewhat, almost seeing eye to eye on this whole thing with their feelings, Forde had no idea what a relationship like that would be like. Perhaps if he were to move closer and listen in on Cormag and Seth's conversation, he could keep his ears open for any hints or tips.

After a while of talking, he noticed Seth take a mock swing at Cormag with his practice sword. Cormag, of course, dodged the half-hearted attack and Forde could see a smile on his face. He wondered what Cormag could have said to Seth to warrant the false attempt.

And so the two of them started playing around like that. They would chase each other around the training yard taking mock swings at each other. That's when Forde decided to change the mood of his picture. He'd never seen the two like this, but he supposed they brought it out in each other. This was much more fun.

"You're always drawing something," Kyle said from behind Forde.

The blond was so startled that he dropped his equipment. "Kyle! What are you doing here?"

"Same reason you're here," Kyle pointed out.

Forde just looked at Kyle for a while and smiled.

"What?"

"Look at you. You're all calm and cool. You're usually yelling my head off by now," Forde informed him. "I think it's because of last night." He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Kyle's face reddened. "Don't be ridiculous. Let's get to some training."

--

soon...

--

There must have been some truth to what Forde said. Kyle won practically all of their training sessions--swords, lances, and even when they alternated weapons. It didn't matter when Forde had the advantage; Kyle was still the victor.

After a while this started getting on Forde's nerves. "Alright, that's enough of that," he said with a great sigh. He leaned against his practice spear for support. "I've had it. I'm done. Finished."

Kyle just looked at Forde.

"I mean, how am I supposed to concentrate with you there?" Forde asked.

"What? Forde, you're not making any sense," Kyle said. "In order for you to train, I have to be here."

"Well, now, that's just not true. I train alone half the time," Forde corrected. "Well, not so much lately, but I used to."

Kyle frowned. "Are you suggesting that we stop training together?"

Forde looked at the ground and started digging into the soil with his practice spear. "I don't know."

"I think you're just making excuses for losing," Kyle said with a smirk.

Forde looked around to make sure no one was around, then he dropped his spear and closed in on Kyle. "It's all because I can't stop thinking about last night."

Kyle kept Forde at arm's length with his hand on the red paladin's chest. "You'd better find a way to stop thinking about it or the next time we go into combat, it might be your life."

"I'm gonna have to find a way to get you drunk again," Forde mumbled.

"What was that?"

Forde smiled at Kyle. "SOOOOO! When do you wanna let King Ephraim know that we're moving out?"

Kyle narrowed his eyes at Forde. (Changing the subject.) Then he shrugged. "When ARE we moving out?"

Forde shrugged. "Wanna start today? It's still early; we could start cleaning up the place now."

"Great. Lots of physical activity. It's like training all over again," Kyle said, heading toward the castle gate.

"Don't remind me," Forde muttered. He slowly followed Kyle.

--

Not even a few minutes later...

--

"There's really no need to let the king know that we're moving out before we even have the place fixed up," Forde said. He and Kyle were riding not far from the palace when Forde pointed at a little brick and wooden house. "That's the place."

"I know that. Or don't you remember that you invited me here a few times when we were young?" Kyle asked. He looked around the yard and frowned at the overrun garden and the over-tall grass. "We'll need a scythe just to get to the door."

"Oh, quit your complaining."

"Hey, that's my line."

"Come on," Forde laughed. "Let's go inside."

The outside of the house had been covered in overgrown vines and moss, but the inside was easier on the eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn't by much. The windows were so dusty that light barely penetrated and there were cobwebs everywhere.

Kyle looked straight at the portrait of Forde's mother and there was now one of his father beside it. "You've always been so talented. Now when did you do this one of your father? I don't remember that one."

"It was when I first heard he'd died on duty," Forde said. "At least Franz was old enough to remember Dad. He looked just like him. Everything about Franz is like our father. His looks, talent, dedication, determination. Everything." He paused for a moment and then looked at the green paladin. "You know, Kyle. I'm always talking about my home life." He grabbed a couple of old brooms from the closet and handed one to Kyle before he started brushing cobwebs away. "Why don't you tell me about yours? How did you find your way to the kingdom nursery?"

Kyle sighed. "Well, both my parents died before I can remember. They were in a house fire. My dad got me out and handed me over to some neighbors and when he went back in for my mother, the place just collapsed. That's what I was told anyway."

"Wow. So you never knew your parents at all?"

Kyle nodded and began swinging haphazardly at some cobwebs. "And I didn't have any other family to call my own."

"No uncles, aunts, grandparents?"

"None of that. The neighbors I was given to were too poor to raise another child so they sent me to grow up a soldier. I guess I looked like I could handle myself in a fight. I was an only child and I was immediately handed over to the palace day care of all places. Everything was the same as everyone else except that me and a few of the other kids didn't go to a home in the evenings."

Forde just watched Kyle swing his broom around for a moment, then the blond took out his drawing equipment and began sketching.

"My earliest memory is of being put in the educational division of the nursery. That's where I met you."

"Wow. That's really something. My earliest memory is of when I used to wrestle with Abby and that one day you came over and saved my bacon by fixing her injury. I could've gotten into some real trouble if it weren't for you," Forde said as he continued drawing. "I guess that kinda makes you my hero."

Kyle just looked at Forde for a minute. Then he swatted him on the shoulder with his broom handle. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Ouch! What's the big deal?"

"You're drawing while I'm working!"

"I'm drawing you!"

"So? You're supposed to be working too."

"You don't even care why I'm drawing you?"

Kyle sighed. "What does that matter? I'm working while you're slacking off."

"Come on. Cut me a little slack here," Forde said. "I was inspired. I just like seeing you when you're thoughtful."

Kyle just looked at Forde angrily.

"Hey, don't give me that look. Fine. I'll get back to work. You're so NOT artful."

"You're just full of it. Get to work."

--

later...

--

Forde spotted Seth in the main hall and hoped that Kyle hadn't seen him. "Excuse me, Kyle. I've got something I need to take care of. I'll meet you in the mess hall in a few minutes, alright?"

Kyle looked a little suspicious, but only shrugged. "Alright."

(Alright! He didn't even interrogate me,) Forde thought as he watched Kyle leave. He walked on over toward Seth, fully intending to question the relationships between men, when he approached the corner and saw that Seth, Cormag and Knoll were all there.

"That is to say, I admire her enthusiasm," Knoll said.

(Hm? Who's he talking about?) Forde wondered, making sure to remain hidden.

"But Knoll, weren't you and Lyon exclusive before he died?" Seth asked.

"We were," was Knoll's only response.

(Wait, wait, wait,) Forde thought. (Knoll used to be with Lyon? Hmmmm... And now he likes a girl?) He pondered this for what seemed like a long time.

"I was just sure that you only liked men," Seth pointed out. "Besides, Neimi is so in love with Colm that she couldn't possibly even imagine being with anyone else. Not to mention that you live in a completely different country altogether."

Forde looked surprised. So Knoll was formerly with Lyon and now he admires Neimi. (So he was a dandy before and now he isn't anymore? How confusing,) he thought. Then he shook his head. (No, wait. I want a guy and I'm not a dandy, so I can't say that just because he was with a guy that he's a dandy...)

"You stand before me with Cormag and speak as though a long-distance relationship couldn't work," Knoll said. "I do understand your point, however."

"Don't get me wrong, Knoll. Cormag and I owe you a lot for helping us through our ordeal. I'm simply giving you the facts. Neimi is already in love," Seth explained.

"Thank you for your honesty," Knoll said. "You could have given me false hope, but instead you chose to make the situation clear. So, Sir Cormag. Will you be returning with--"

Forde stepped around the corner with a grin on his face. "Got a thing for Neimi, huh? I can't say that I blame you. She's really sweet and cute, to boot. Yet she's super talented with a bow AND she can cook a mean meal. Now that I think about it, maybe I've got a thing for her too."

"How rude. Jumping in on someone's private conversation," the formerly silent Cormag said to Forde.

"Hey, I have to say that I'm a little shocked, that's all," Forde went on. "Especially since Neimi's so in love with Colm. Everyone know that she's completely off limits."

"Yes, Forde. That's what we were just discussing," Knoll said.

Seth sighed. "Don't let Forde get to you, Knoll. Not even HE is above having love problems."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something along those lines. That's why I'm here," Forde said.

"Selfish," was all Cormag said.

Seth looked at Cormag, then at Forde. "You _did_ just catch me in the middle of something, Forde."

"Oh, no. I believe we've discussed all there is to discuss," Knoll said. He nodded to Seth. "Thank you." He turned to Cormag. "Sir Cormag, will you be returning to Grado with Duessel and myself today?"

Cormag shook his head. "I think I'll stay a few more days. Besides, Genarog prefers flying to walking."

Forde just looked at Seth and raised his eyebrows.

"Well, what did you want to talk to me about?" Seth asked.

"Uh, could we go someplace a little more private? I have some questions," Forde said quietly. He looked at Cormag and Knoll, who were both looking at him now. He became slightly flustered and looked away.

"Actually, I think right here is fine. As a matter of fact, right here is perfect. You owe Knoll for listening in on our earlier conversation," Seth said plainly.

--

_To be continued..._

--

a/n: Seth is so mean! If you wanted to see OOC, that was it.


	15. Chapter 15

a/n: Thank you so much! I feel inspired because of all the love you people sent!

a/n: Get ready for a bunch of gossipy guys in this chapter. Scary. Now, I won't clutter this up with a whole bunch of my jabber. Let's just get on with it, shall we?

--

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 15_

--

--in the main hall with Cormag, Seth and Knoll...

--

"It's only fair. Knoll thought that he was having a private conversation with Cormag and myself, yet you eavesdropped," Seth went on.

"Eavesdropped?! I just happened to be passing by. And I had business with you anyway," Forde tried to explain.

"If you want to talk to me about something, it's now or never," Seth told him.

Forde frowned. "I was only looking for a little advice or rather, guidance on my situation."

"Go on."

"I can't talk about it in front of everyone," Forde said, blushing a little.

Seth simply folded his arms across his chest and looked at Forde.

Cormag and Knoll obviously weren't going anywhere. The two stood like stone bookends, never to be moved from their positions. And they were both looking at Forde.

Forde panicked internally, but kept a cool head on the outside. "So, Seth. How are you doing today?"

"Perhaps it has something to do with those two big red dots on the side of your neck," Seth said, ignoring Forde's attempt to change the subject.

Forde blushed again and pushed his stray hairs behind his ears. He looked at Cormag and Knoll, who hadn't moved, then back at Seth. "Uh..."

"I'm guessing that things are going well, then," Seth went on.

Forde laughed nervously. "I wouldn't want to talk to you if things were going well. I mean, things are moving FORWARD..."

"Well, that's good," Seth told him with a nod.

"Only because he thought I was drunk," Forde added.

"'He'?" Knoll asked.

Forde blushed deep red and clamped his hands over his mouth.

Cormag only smirked.

"That's right. Forde the Lady Killer, is interested in a man," Seth announced.

"Wait. 'Lady Killer'?" Forde questioned.

"Yeah, that's kind of your reputation. At least it was during the war. Every place we went, the young maidens would come around and inquire about the 'cute blond knight in red'. Their words," Seth explained. "Though, I suppose they could have been talking about Amelia...," he added in a murmur.

Cormag suppressed a laugh and Knoll only smiled.

Forde nervously played at his ponytail. "Really? I never knew that. Why didn't anyone bother to tell me?"

"I didn't because I didn't want it to go to your head," Seth said. "But it seems that the more YOUR mind wanders, the better you perform. It's odd really."

"Well, who's this 'he' we're talking about? Is it really Kyle?" Knoll asked.

Cormag gave a nod.

"What an odd pair," Knoll commented. "I mean, at least you and Seth have things in common. I don't know much about Forde and Kyle, but they seem more like water and oil than anything."

"Believe me, the attraction is there," Seth said.

"Hey, stop talking like I'm not standing here!" Forde shouted. "What's wrong with you people? You gossip like a flock of hens."

"Only because you won't get on with it and tell me your problem," Seth told him.

"Forget it. I don't wanna talk about it if you're just gonna squawk behind my back once I'm gone," Forde said, pouting a little.

"We're definitely gonna do that if you _don't_ tell us. We have enough to make some random speculations from anyway," Seth said with a little laugh.

"Here I was thinking you were some sort of saint," Forde said, putting his head down. "You're more like a demon."

"Alright, things are moving forward for you two," Seth said. "So what's wrong?"

"Well, the fact that he thought I was drunk at the time doesn't help my case," Forde explained. "Of course, then there's that other stuff we did after the fact." He blushed when he thought back on it. "But we didn't go far, if that's what you're thinking. All our clothes remained in tact." He shook his head. "But he doesn't wanna talk about it."

"He's just embarrassed," Seth told him. "It's not the type of relationship you come across every day, you know. Besides, you already know how Kyle is. He's not very good with words. Sure, he could hand out commands on the battlefield, but he doesn't talk about feelings well."

Forde smiled and nodded. "You're right. He just doesn't know how to express himself. Maybe that's why he agreed to move in with me."

Seth and his two silent companions all looked stunned.

"Move in with you? What do you mean?" Seth asked.

"My parents' old house is empty, so we're gonna go live there once we've fixed it up," Forde said.

"Talk about moving forward," Knoll murmured.

"Why didn't you say that in the first place? Forde, he's speaking to you through that important change," Seth said.

Forde looked confused.

"If he's willing to leave the castle--leave the side of the king he's sworn to protect--then he's definitely putting you in his number one spot," Seth went on. "Now he'd never say that, but that's what he's doing."

Forde blushed and grinned like an idiot. "Wow. I never thought about it like that..." He chuckled to himself.

"Kyle's all yours is what it sounds like to me," Knoll added.

Cormag gave a nod.

Forde looked at each of them, then back at Seth. "I have one question though." He moved closer to Seth.

"What is it?"

"How do you know which one's the dominant one in the relationship?" Forde whispered so that only Seth could hear.

"'Dominant one'?" Seth questioned.

"How do you know who'll do the plugging?" Forde asked.

Seth reddened a bit. "I-I don't know. I guess it just happens."

Forde looked over his shoulder at Cormag, then back at Seth. "So which one of you--?"

"Hold it. You shouldn't just ask someone something like that. It's personal," Seth almost shouted.

Knoll and Cormag both looked startled when Seth seemed to lose his composure.

"I'm just curious. I mean, I don't understand any of this," Forde said.

"It's not about what other people's relationships are like. You have to be guided by your own feelings."

Forde narrowed his eyes at Seth. "So in other words, you won't tell me."

Seth looked at the ceiling. "Skies above, help us all."

--

--in the mess hall...

--

Kyle was about to take a seat at one of the empty tables when someone called to him.

"Kyle, over here. Come sit with us."

It was Franz. And it seemed he had some company--Amelia, Ross and Ewan. Kyle walked on over and greeted them all before he took a seat.

"Where's your food?" Ross asked Kyle.

"Actually, I was gonna wait for Forde to show up before I grabbed something to eat," Kyle told him. He looked at Ewan. "And I was just sure you'd be on your way back to Jehanna with the others by now."

"Nah," Ewan said. "The Chief and Joshua said something about going to a tavern tonight with you guys again before we leave." He seemed to be building some sort of structure using their silverware.

Amelia and Ross were very impressed by Ewan's talent.

(So they were serious about meeting up again,) Kyle thought. "I see." He eyed the mini metallic architectural design, then he looked at Ross. "How is your wilderness training going?"

"It's not easy, that's for sure," was all Ross could say on the subject. He was still watching Ewan build.

Franz looked at the way Amelia was staring at what Ewan was doing, then turned his attention back to Kyle. "Congratulations on _your_ training earlier. I noticed that you really gave my brother a tough time today."

(I didn't even realize that Franz was out in the training yard,) Kyle said. (I must have been too involved in our training to notice.)

"Yeah, from what I've heard, Forde normally wears you out during training. Way to go," Ross said.

Kyle narrowed his eyes at Ross.

"I'm surprised, Ross, old buddy," Ewan said as he continued to work on his silverware fortress. "For someone with only half a brain, you're doing well to recall such information. You have a sharp memory." He smirked and kept his eyes on his work.

"That's it, you dirty little mage," Ross said, getting to his feet. "Let's see how clever you are with an ax to your throat."

As soon as Ross was about to draw his weapon, Kyle held up his hand. "Please, let's not fight. We're all friends here." He shook his head. (What am I, a babysitter?)

Ross groaned. "Fine." He plopped back down in his seat.

Ewan finally looked up and gave Ross an arrogant smirk.

Ross growled. "I'm taking him out!"

"Really, you two," Amelia finally said. "You've been at each other's throats ever since Ewan got into town. Why can't you be civil like you were at the wedding?"

"Because Ewan keeps saying stuff that pisses me off!" Ross nearly shouted.

Kyle rolled his eyes. (I really AM going to have to be a babysitter here. At least with Ewan and Ross.)

"Hey, what's all the commotion?" Forde said, finally showing up at their table. He waved his greeting with a huge grin on his face.

Franz smiled. "Forde."

He put his hand on Franz's head and looked around at everyone else. "So, what's up?"

"Ross and Ewan are getting into it again, as usual. They were like that during the war and they're like that now. You'd think that after they've been apart for a while they'd at least grown up a little," Franz said.

Amelia gave an exasperated nod. "They've done nothing but argue all day."

Forde took a seat beside his brother and laughed a little. "Don't worry about that. Even the best of friends argue sometimes." He looked at Kyle and grinned rather stupidly.

Kyle rolled his eyes again.

"Well, we're far from being the best of friends," Ross said.

"Oh, come on, Ross," Ewan said as he started back working on his utensil building. "What happened to us being like brothers? And you being someone I can rely on and trust completely? Don't tell me that with your 'sharp memory' you forgot about that." He smirked and kept building.

"I--" Ross began. He blushed a little. "I didn't forget."

"He gets flustered so easily sometimes," Ewan chuckled, never looking up from his silverware castle. "It's really funny to see. You should've seen him when I gave him that riddle to solve and he never could figure it out. Priceless."

Forde laughed. "Reminds me of someone I know." He tugged Kyle's sleeve.

Both Kyle and Ross became flushed.

Franz and Amelia were watching them all and whispering to each other.

"Oh, look at them. They're all embarrassed now. It's so cute," Forde teased still grinning.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Forde. I guess great minds really do think alike," Ewan said, grinning right along with Forde.

Amelia giggled. "He's your brother. You ask him," she said out loud to Franz.

Forde's ears quirked up and he looked at the two young knights. "Ask me what?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask if you were dating Tethys now," Franz asked quietly.

Kyle's formerly reddened face suddenly paled.

"My sister didn't say anything about dating anyone," Ewan said. He looked at Forde. "It would be great to have a brother like you."

"Hold it, hold it," Forde said. "Where did a question like that come from suddenly?"

Franz and Amelia looked at each other, then back at Forde. "Oh, we thought that since you have those marks on your neck, that maybe you'd started dating Tethys," Franz began.

"Considering you two went to the wedding together and all," Amelia finished for Franz.

Blood quickly rushed to both Forde and Kyle's faces.

"Excuse me. I think I'll get something to eat now," Kyle tried to say as calmly as possible. He left the table.

(KYLE, COME BACK HERE AND HELP ME! PLEASE!) Forde thought almost too loudly. He laughed uncomfortably. "Oh, these? You think these are kiss marks? No, those are...insect bites... I have a rash... Two of them, as a matter of fact... On my neck..." He looked like he knew he was lying. "I'd better go grab something to eat too while the getting's good." He hurried away.

"That's my brother for you," Franz said. "He'll change the subject in a heartbeat."

"Well, maybe we should just leave him alone about it. I'm sure he'll tell you everything once he wants you to know," Amelia said. She gave Franz's hand a squeeze under the table and smiled at him.

Ross and Ewan were left arguing about things no one else understood...

--

--more painting lessons...

--

And there Kyle sat, staring at the blank canvas before him.

"Why don't we mix some colors today?" Forde suggested. "I'm out of all of my good colors. I'll have to make some more, so perhaps we could both work on it."

"But I don't know anything about mixing colors. You can't just send me at something I know absolutely nothing about and expect me to just 'work on it'."

"You did fine last night," Forde said with a smirk.

Kyle turned away to hide the blush that hammered at his cheeks and ears. "Will you stop bringing that up?"

"You know what? Eventually we're gonna have to bring it up," Forde told him.

"Well, I don't want to bring it up now," Kyle said. He took some of Forde's equipment and looked at it. "You're supposed to be teaching me about art, so how about actually _teaching_ for a change?"

"I already told you that art is about feelings. That's really the first lesson and you can't seem to grasp that concept yet. No one taught me how to draw or paint. I painted what I FELT. I mixed colors that I FELT I liked." He was serious for a change, but only briefly. Suddenly he smiled and moved his chair closer to Kyle's. "What's your favorite color, Kyle?"

Kyle thought for a moment.

Forde just looked at him at first, then he sighed. "If you have to put so much thought into it, you're not gonna give a truthful answer. You'll say something that you _think_ makes sense."

"No, it's not that. It's just that I've always seen all colors as being the same. I don't favor one above the other really."

Forde frowned. "What a diplomatic answer. Maybe you should be a king. Seriously, you're so rigid about everything."

It was Kyle's turn to frown. "Well, what's YOUR favorite color then?"

"Green," Forde said without so much as batting an eyelash.

"Green?"

"Green. That's my favorite color. Green represents life," Forde began. "It's the color of grass in springtime. It's the color of the leaves on the trees. It's the color most fruits and vegetables start out as. There's something new and fresh about the color green. I've always loved it, as long as I can remember."

"Well, good for you," Kyle sighed. "But you don't seem to like green when we're on restoration missions. You're always running from your work."

"Do me a favor, Kyle. Close your eyes," Forde said out of the nowhere.

"What for?" Kyle asked apprehensively.

"Come on. Trust me. This is about art. You want me to teach you, so I'm going to give you a short lesson."

Kyle looked at Forde for a moment, then closed his eyes.

"What do you see?"

"Nothing."

"No, describe what you see."

"There's nothing there, Forde. My eyes are closed. What's the point of this?"

"Try again," Forde said. He gently touched one of Kyle's fingers.

Kyle gasped quietly. "What are you doing?"

"Tell me what you see."

Kyle blushed when he felt Forde lightly stroking the back of one of his hands. "I don't know. Black."

"That's right. See? You do see something," Forde said. "Black is a color for you to begin with. Now stop seeing with your eyes and start seeing with your mind. What's the first color that you see?" He put his other hand on Kyle's free one.

"G-green," Kyle stammered a bit.

"Green? Oh, you're just saying that because that's what I said earlier," Forde said.

Kyle gasped when it came into full view what his mind's eye was slowly producing. It was Forde's face and the green he'd seen was the color of Forde's eyes. He'd never really taken notice of what color they were, so he opened his own eyes to see if it was true. He could only gaze at Forde once he saw that his mind had recalled his blond companion perfectly.

"What?" Forde asked.

"What?" Kyle asked, snapping out of his daze.

"You're staring. It's not polite to stare, you know. Besides, I told you to close your eyes."

Maybe this was what Forde had wanted him to see...

"Close your eyes. I'm not done with you yet," Forde told him, still stroking Kyle's hands.

Kyle quietly obeyed.

"Now what color comes to mind when I do this?" Forde questioned.

The green knight could hear Forde get up from his chair, but he wasn't expecting the kiss that was planted upon his lips. His eyes shot open and he tried his best to look at Forde without going cross-eyed.

"Hey, close your eyes. Don't make me blindfold you," Forde said. He gave the green-haired knight a slow comforting kiss on the lips. It wasn't insistent and it asked nothing in return. "What color?"

Well, it asked nothing except that in return. The green-haired knight closed his eyes, but instead of answering, he opened his mouth to taste Forde's lips.

The blond wanted to complain that Kyle wasn't cooperating with him, but this was even more cooperation than he'd expected. Forde moved closer and straddled Kyle's lap, then put his arms around the green paladin's neck as he kissed him feverishly. He was sure that Kyle would complain about his taking a seat on him, but the green-haired man only put his hands around Forde's waist. Kyle's tongue brushed so urgently against his own that Forde's blood began to course rapidly throughout his body. He moaned when Kyle's hands made their way to his back and he was pulled closer.

And this time there was no mistaking that feeling that shot from the pit of the blond's stomach straight to his groin. He broke their kiss and took a few deep breaths before he was able to speak. "Whoa. You're _really_ turning me on here, Kyle."

A blush stained Kyle's cheeks and he looked away quickly.

"I didn't say it to embarrass you," Forde said with a little laugh. "I should be the one who's embarrassed actually. I can't believe I got this excited just from kissing." He looked down at Kyle's crotch. "Are you excited too?"

Kyle's face reddened even more. "Excuse me. I just remembered; there's something I have to take care of." He nearly knocked Forde onto the floor, he got up so fast.

Forde could only watch as Kyle hurried out of the room. (Sheesh! He wasn't this embarrassed last night, and I was...) He could distinctly feel his lower region pulsating when he recalled what he did with Kyle the previous night. (Well, since Kyle's not here, I guess I'll have to take care of it alone.)

--

--that night, that same tavern...

--

"Regardless of what you might think, I put a lot of thought into that figurine-o I got for you," Forde said. He had his eyes closed and he was leaning close to Gerik.

"You are so drunk," Gerik told Forde.

"Nooooo, not yet," Forde said. "I'm just slightly...right. I mean, I..." He opened his eyes. "Oh, hi, Gerik." He then leaned close to Kyle.

Kyle looked like he was about to boil over. "He said he wasn't drinking tonight," he murmured, taking a sip from his own mug.

"I said I was not going to drink enough to get drunk. I'm just feeling good," Forde corrected. "Now, back to what I was saying. The reason I got you that figurine is because a wyvern is a proud and capable beast, very noble and also unique. And even though they look dangerous from a distance, they're actually kinda cute, like you."

Kyle blushed a little. "Forde, not now."

"Wait, I'm not finished," Forde went on. "But it's made of glass, so it's fragile. You have to treat it with the utmost care. That figurine is kinda like a representation of you, Kyle."

"You really put that much thought into it?" Kyle asked quietly.

"Well, when I saw it, that's what I thought about. And that's why I bought it," Forde said.

Joshua, who'd been half asleep the whole time, looked up at Forde and Kyle, who were just looking at each other. He looked at Gerik, who seemed completely confused at the time. "Something about this is really romantic."

"That's because _you're_ a romantic, Joshua," Gerik said. "You think everything's romantic. Drink your beer."

Forde lay his head on the table and giggled, then he looked at Gerik and Joshua. "Don't you know? Kyle's a romantic dimwit. He can't even see that I'm openly flirting with him."

Gerik looked surprised at first, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "And here I thought that you two were just friends."

Kyle let out an exasperated sigh and covered his face with his hands.

Forde blushed. "Oops. I think I said too much."

"You haven't said enough," Joshua said to Forde. He turned to Gerik. "Told you. I can smell romance from a mile away." He grabbed Gerik by the collar and pulled him close so he could kiss him full on the lips. The red-head smiled idiotically at the bigger man.

Gerik chuckled. "Come on. We're in public."

"Well, now, how in the world did you two end up getting together?" Forde asked.

"Forde! That's not your concern!" Kyle nearly shouted at the blond knight. He looked at Joshua and Gerik apologetically. "You don't have to answer that."

"Actually, he tried to get me drunk, but I have a high tolerance for alcohol," Gerik informed.

Joshua laid his head on Gerik's shoulder. "We'd been merc buddies off and on for a while. We had a lot of respect for each other's work, not to mention we were really attracted to the other's body, so he let me bang him. First partner I've had who wasn't a drunken one night stand."

Gerik grinned and patted Joshua on the head. "And the rest is history."

Kyle just sat there staring at the table in disbelief.

"Hm. So, you're plugging Gerik, Joshua?" Forde asked.

"Forde!" Kyle warned.

"Yep," Joshua hiccuped.

Forde put his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands. "That's really interesting. I just assumed that Gerik would be doing the plugging."

"Nope," Gerik said plainly. He took a swig from his mug.

"So, did you both know that you preferred men?" Forde questioned.

"That's enough, Forde," Kyle told his friend.

"I'm just asking. We might learn a thing or two from these guys," Forde said to Kyle.

"I preferred men. I'd been getting guys drunk before so I could...'let off some steam', if you will," Joshua said slowly. "As a matter of fact, I think that's how Gerik found out about the whole thing. And so when I tried it on him, he knew what was going on."

"And I don't prefer men. I just prefer Joshua," Gerik said.

Forde looked confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I never thought about being with a guy until Joshua," Gerik told him. "And I don't find myself attracted to other men."

"_Women_, on the other hand, are an altogether different story," Joshua said, giving Gerik a glance. "And of course, my eyes roam when it comes to men too. That doesn't mean I'm going anywhere though."

"Same here," Gerik said, putting a hand on Joshua's shoulder.

"Yet, you're the one on the receiving end, Gerik?" Forde asked.

Gerik laughed and nodded. "Strange, ain't it? That's just the way things are with Joshua. But I can't complain. It's just what I like."

"What IS it like? I mean, taking--" Forde began.

Kyle quickly reached over and put his arm around Forde's neck in what could only be described as a choke hold. "I've let this go on long enough. Forde, you're the rudest individual on the face of the continent. Just shut it, will you?"

"Ack!" was all Forde could say.

"Oh, but we don't mind answering his questions," Joshua said. "It's kinda fun, actually. So which one of you is on the receiving end?"

"I don't think they wanna discuss something like that," Gerik whispered to Joshua.

"We haven't decided ye--" Forde started, but Kyle shook him up a little. He laughed goofily.

Kyle sighed, maintaining his grip around Forde's neck. "I believe that what happens in the bedroom should remain in the bedroom."

"But Kyle," Forde struggled to say. "Just this morning you were saying how you thought Joshua was the--ack!"

Kyle shook Forde again. "I said 'what happens in the bedroom should remain in the bedroom'," he said through gritting teeth.

Gerik looked at Forde as the blond began quickly changing from a lively shade of pink to a paling greenish tent. "I don't think shaking him like that is a good idea, Kyle."

Joshua was laughing at first, but when he saw Forde's coloring, he took a deep breath. "Oh, man. If he looses it here, you may as well say hello to my lunch too."

Kyle looked at Forde and quickly let him go. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Ugh," was all Forde could manage.

"Um, we should probably go and walk this off," Kyle said to Gerik and Joshua. He helped Forde stand up and gave their two friends an apologetic look. "This was our last night to do this together for a while. I'm sorry it had to end so soon."

"It's fine. It's fine," Joshua assured him. "Maybe we'll get a chance to hang out again some time."

Gerik smiled at them. "You never know where mercenary work'll take you. We'll make sure to stop in with you guys if we're ever close by."

"We look forward to it," Kyle said, waving goodbye to them.

--

--outside...

--

As soon as fresh air hit Forde's face, he placed his hand on the building for support and spewed forth the contents of his stomach.

Kyle was thankful that it was silent for the most part. He was also thankful that the contents of Forde's stomach mainly consisted of beer. He wasn't sure if he could have handled any more of a display than that. The green-haired knight didn't want to startle his friend, so he simply stood behind him until he was done.

Forde let out a tired groan and leaned against the wall. "Ugh. I hate throwing up."

"Are you alright?" Kyle asked quietly.

"No. All thanks to you. Don't shake a person who's been drinking," Forde said.

"I know. I'm sorry," Kyle apologized. He made Forde put his arm around his shoulder and Kyle placed his arm around Forde's waist. "Come on. You should get some rest."

"Wait. Water," Forde said quietly.

Kyle looked confused at first, then he nodded. "Right. I'll see if I can talk the bartender into letting me bring some water out to you. You stay right here." He leaned Forde against the side of the building and hurried back inside.

And apparently Kyle had been successful at negotiations. Forde gratefully took the water and rinsed his mouth out before he took a few sips. After Kyle was sure that Forde was stable, he returned the mug, then hurried back out to Forde, who was nearly asleep as he lay against the wall.

"Hey, hey. You have to wait till you get to bed before you go to sleep, alright?" Kyle said.

Forde only barely opened his eyes and looked at Kyle. A small smile crept up on his lips and he slowly made his way back to Kyle's side. "M'kay."

--

--a few hours later...

--

And even though Forde didn't drink enough to get drunk, he couldn't remember a thing past Kyle taking him to his room. All he knew was that he was lying in his bed with the covers half off him and the green knight was seated in a chair beside his bed. (Just like when I pretended I was sick...,) Forde thought. The blond frowned. (Well, I wasn't really pretending.)

He stared at the green-haired knight as he sat there--a sleeping guardian waiting for the slightest thing to go wrong. The dimming candlelight made Kyle look even more unreal than any of the sketches or paintings he'd done of the green paladin. (If he weren't so rough around the edges, I'd almost mistake him for being beautiful,) Forde thought.

The blond certainly felt safe with this guy around. "Oh, Kyle. You could've slept in bed with me," Forde muttered. As soon as he decided to place his hand on Kyle's leg, the green knight sprang to his feet, looking around as if there were something chasing him.

"Whoa. Easy, Kyle," Forde said with a little chuckle.

Kyle looked a little embarrassed when he realized where he was. "Forde. Sorry. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Nah. I was just wondering why you were sleeping in a chair," Forde explained. "You know, if you wanted to look after me, you could've just jumped in bed with me."

"Not with the way you were tossing and turning," Kyle mumbled. He looked at the candle that lit the room. "I shouldn't have been so careless as to leave this burning, but at least it lets us know that only a couple of hours have passed." He lit a new candle and put the old one out. "You should go back to sleep."

Forde frowned. "I'm kinda hungry, so I'll go grab something quick to eat. And you don't have to look after me like I'm a three-year-old. You should get some sleep too, you know." He was about to stand when Kyle stopped him.

"I don't think so," Kyle said. He put his hands on Forde's shoulders and made him sit back down. "I'll get a piece of fruit for you. Just wait here."

The blond watched his friend leave and looked confused. "What's his problem? Like I can't take care of myself or something... Maybe he's really worried about me. How sweet!" He blushed a little and put his hands on his cheeks. "If I play my cards right, maybe something naughty can happen tonight too... Why am I thinking out loud?"

Kyle came back with an apple and a glass of water. "Eat slowly."

"Thank you so much, Kyle," Forde said. He took his food and did as Kyle told him. "I feel better already."

"Good. Well, goodnight," Kyle mumbled. He turned to leave the room, but to his surprise, Forde grabbed his hand.

"You're leaving? I thought you were staying here."

"Forde..."

"Why go all the way to your room when you can just spend the night here?" Forde asked.

"You say 'all the way to your room' like I don't live a couple of steps away from here," Kyle reminded him. "Besides, now that you're better, you don't need me around."

Forde started stroking Kyle's hand. "I always need you around, Kyle."

The green-haired knight was surprised at how something so small as rubbing his hand made him weak in the knees. (No! He's doing it again. He's being dominant again. I can't just let him run the show here,) Kyle thought. "Listen, there is absolutely no way you're going to talk me into staying with you tonight, so you may as well just go to sleep. I'm going to my room." He snatched his hand away from Forde and smirked. (Ha! How's that for dominant?)

--

Kyle found himself lying on his back in Forde's bed staring at the dark that was supposed to be the ceiling. (Well, he may have been able to get me to share a bed with him, but he won't take advantage of me again like he did last night. I'm the dominant one here. All I have to do is make sure I don't turn my back to him.)

--

_To be continued..._

--

a/n: Bad me. Bad spot to end it, I know. But thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next episode. Maybe we'll actually get these guys moved in together. Oh, yeah, and please review.

a/n: This is turning out to be kind of a round-about story. Tell me what you think. Who's getting on your nerves? Who do you like or dislike? What could we use less of or more of here? This isn't just my story. It's yours too. (Woops! I jabbered anyway.)


	16. Chapter 16

a/n: It's true that Kyle has an older sister. It's also true that the first figurine Kyle received was actually from Syrene. But why should I complicate matters by including those facts? I mean, isn't this story complicated enough as is?

a/n: Just thought I'd complain a little here in the beginning. But I'd also like to open up a voting booth. I've made a little forum here and I hope that you'll visit. Please go to my author's page and click on My Forums for more information. That's actually the reason this chapter is so much shorter than the rest. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

a/n: Oh, and one more thing. That whole thing with Joshua being on top (their whole little side story) was actually started in another story I was messing around with that was supposed to be a part of the "Turn and Face the Strange" Universe. (I probably shouldn't have let that secret slip.) But it's nowhere near publishable yet, so I'll see how I feel about it much, much, MUCH later. Like after this story is done. I've got more than a handful with this story. (Does that mean I've been working on stories for other pairings in this series? Perhaps.)

a/n: One more "one more thing". Maybe I shoulda made this rated M. Things are getting worse and worse in here. Then again, there's no nudity. I think that's the rule... I don't remember. Just please don't tell on me! I've edited it down as far as it'll go (okay, I could've edited it down much more than that, but then it wouldn't have been fun). Give me a break.

--

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 16_

--

Kyle found himself lying on his back in Forde's bed staring at the dark that was supposed to be the ceiling. (Well, he may have been able to get me to share a bed with him, but he won't take advantage of me again like he did last night. I'm the dominant one here. All I have to do is make sure I don't turn my back to him.)

"Kyle," a whisper came only inches away from his ear.

Said knight flinched slightly, but didn't turn to face the owner of the voice. "What is it?" Kyle whispered back.

"I think if we work hard on the house tomorrow, we'll be able to move in right away," Forde whispered, his breath tickling Kyle's ear. "We got a lot done today."

Kyle relaxed and chuckled a bit. "Are you in that much of a hurry to leave the castle?"

"Well, I was just thinking that the sooner it's done, the better, you know?" Forde said. He slowly slipped an arm around Kyle's waist.

Despite how carefully Forde moved, Kyle still tensed at the touch.

"Besides, I can't wait to see what you'll do once you're out of excuses," Forde went on.

Kyle could hear the smile in the blond's voice. "Forde, what are you talking about?"

"I think you know," Forde told him.

The arm across Kyle's abs moved back so that Forde's hand rested just above Kyle's bellybutton. The green-haired knight suddenly realized that it was getting harder and harder to breathe. "Actually, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, let me be a little more specific," Forde whispered. He moved a little closer so that his lips practically touched Kyle's ear. "I want you to picture what we did last night..."

Those uninvited fingers inched down to just below Kyle's navel and slowly rubbed there, causing the green-haired knight to gasp quietly. He couldn't help imagining what Forde spoke of, his excitement becoming more and more apparent by the second. And even though those fantastic fingers wouldn't leave him alone, Kyle couldn't bring himself to put a stop to his blond companion.

"Are you picturing it?" Forde asked, letting his lips brush Kyle's ear. The red paladin's fingers simply lingered just below Kyle's navel and he smiled against the green paladin's ear. "I was thinking that once we're really alone together, that we could do something along those lines, only _more_. Understand?"

Then they both suddenly realized that something hard lay against Kyle's hip. The green-haired knight was so startled that he quickly turned over on his side to face Forde. "Let's...let's not do this, okay?" Kyle whispered, sounding many millions of miles away. He could already feel the heat from Forde's body only inches away from his own, even through their clothes--a heat that seemed to call to him. The green-haired knight could feel _reason_ slowly slipping away and 'something' only newly familiar--namely 'lust'--taking its place.

"Then, what should we do about...?" Forde began.

Before Forde was able to finish, Kyle's hips had majestically, magnetically drawn closer to the blond's. Ripples of pleasure jolted threw both men like wave after wave of electricity as the material covering their most intimate body parts brushed against each other.

The blond hissed and began to move against his friend. (I guess I'm not the only one looking to relieve a little pressure,) Forde thought, chuckling mentally.

Completely confused, Kyle clumsily but slowly rocked against Forde as well. (What is this? This isn't quite the same as last night.)

Forde shifted closer to Kyle and uttered something that neither he nor Kyle could understand. Yet for some reason it sent a more intense heat threw the green paladin, the likes of which he'd never felt before. Kyle unconsciously kissed Forde, forcing the red paladin onto his back and quickly straddled him, never missing a beat with their kiss. He easily gained access to Forde's mouth, slowly thrusting his tongue inside as he slowly thrust his hips over and over again. The green knight had no idea how thrilling it could be to attack someone like this. No wonder Forde was so keen on doing it.

Forde reached up and put his arms around Kyle's neck, kissing him just as passionately. (Whoa. He can be aggressive when he wants to be,) Forde thought. "Is this why you've been...hanging around in my room?" Forde teased breathlessly. If he wanted this to go on, now was really not the time to mess with his green-haired companion. He tried to comply with the patient rhythm of Kyle's hips, but the blond's pulse had begun racing and his entire body wanted to follow suit.

"I told you, I thought you had a fever...since you were tossing and turning so much..., but I guess I was wrong," Kyle replied just as breathlessly. He moved to licking Forde's ear as he moved on top of him.

"Mmmm...," Forde moaned quietly. "Not the kind of fever you expected, but you were right." He noticed Kyle's pace quickening as they brushed against each other. He wanted to moan out loud to show Kyle the pleasure he was experiencing. He wanted to rip both their pants off for skin-on-skin contact, but he could do neither at the moment.

And yet again, Kyle began making those quiet, whimpering sounds that Forde loved. The blond loved them so much, in fact, that he unexpectedly finished, clinging to Kyle with a great shudder.

The green paladin buried his face in Forde's shoulder as he too reached his peak.

Both men silently waiting for their breathing to calm, Kyle still lying atop Forde. (I can't believe I just did that. What came over me? It's like I couldn't stop myself,) Kyle thought.

And as much as Forde didn't want to ruin the moment, he took a deep breath and said, "After all these years of knowing you, I'm almost ashamed to say that you're more of a pervert than I thought."

It was too dark to see, but Forde could imagine the blush that colored Kyle's entire face. "I'm leaving," the green knight declared as he made a move to do so.

"Noooo," Forde whined, wrapping his arms and legs around Kyle. "Come on. I was just teasing you. I liked it. I liked it a little too much, actually. Can't you feel the huge wet spot on my pants?"

Kyle wanted to hide, but he couldn't be seen now anyway. He rolled back onto his side with Forde still clinging to him. "Where's your subtlety?" he groaned.

"Actually, you weren't being very subtle when you mounted me like a rabbit in heat," Forde said.

"Forde!"

"Hey, relax a little, would you? I mean, it's pretty obvious that you liked it too," Forde went on. "At this rate, we'll ruin all of our clothes. Unless, of course--"

"That's enough, Forde. If you're not gonna let me go so I can clean myself, the least you could do is let me sleep," Kyle said, trying to shove Forde away.

Forde pouted a little. "So grumpy. I thought that after something like that you'd calm down a little." He let Kyle go and turned away from him.

The green-haired knight frowned. He knew Forde was only joking around and truthfully, Kyle wouldn't have minded being held like last time, but his own ego stood in the way somehow. It was really silly for him to act this way when he was honestly the one who'd brought this situation about this time--no thanks to Forde's provocations, of course.

Kyle had planned to remove those sticky remains, but after he lay there for a few more minutes, a heavy drowse had come to claim him.

--

--in the morning...

--

When Kyle awoke, he was surprised to see that Forde wasn't in bed with him. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even in the room.

(He can't be angry, can he?) Kyle asked himself. (He didn't say anything. Maybe he's upset because I pushed him away last night. I guess he has reason to be upset since I came to him for relief, yet I was the one pushing him away. That was really insensitive of me. Is that really the chivalrous thing to do...? I think the chivalrous thing to do probably would have been to have a little self-control rather than jumping him like a...'rabbit in heat'.) Kyle blushed at the thought of what he'd done.

(I can't believe he was awake before I was. I can't believe he didn't bother to wake me. Or even wait for me for that matter.) Kyle continued thinking random Forde-related thoughts until he bathed and dressed and was out in the training yard. Surprisingly, neither Forde, Seth nor Cormag were anywhere to be seen. Who he did see was King Ephraim and Queen Tana. The two seemed to be in the middle of an argument.

"There's no reason for you to go to Jehanna," Tana said with her hands on her hips. "None whatsoever. You're only going to see that girl."

Ephraim looked weary already. "Tana, please. It's not like it was a secret. I told you that was the reason I'm going to Jehanna."

"Well, you could've at least pretended that you didn't want to hurt me by telling me something like that. You could've lied about it to cover it up. Why would you openly tell me that you're leaving the country alone to visit another woman?" Tana asked, near tears.

"I won't be alone. I'll be going with Joshua and the others," Ephraim said calmly.

"You KNOW what I'm talking about," Tana interrupted.

"Why are you so insecure about this? You're the one I married. You're my queen. No one else matters."

Tana pouted a little. "If no one else matters, then why even bother seeing her?"

"You're being unreasonable. Myrrh is a friend. Of course she matters," Ephraim sighed.

"Then don't lie and tell me that no one else matters when they do!" Tana shouted.

Ephraim began massaging his temples. "Tana, you were the one who just told me to lie to you."

Tana groaned. "You're completely clueless, as usual."

Kyle was slowly making his way back toward the entrance when Ephraim spotted him.

"Ah, Kyle! Just the man I wanted to see!" Ephraim called. "Please excuse me, Tana."

"Ephraim!" Tana called. Unfortunately, the king was already gone.

Ephraim breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you showed up. Keep walking." He lead the green-haired knight back into the castle. "I'll be traveling back to Jehanna with Joshua and the others. Perhaps you heard the discussion between the queen and myself."

"It's already forgotten, M'lord," Kyle said. "Royal marital affairs are not the business of mere guards."

"Of course they are," Ephraim said. "You're my friend before you're my guard." He sighed. "Why is it that women can't just trust you to be faithful?"

"Trust is a strange issue when it comes to any type of relationship, Your Highness," Kyle said.

"I suppose it is. You give so much of yourself to someone else, but they forget that there were other things and people before them."

Kyle frowned. "I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but I'd prefer not to discuss such a sensitive subject."

Ephraim nodded.

"What was it you wanted to see me for?"

"Besides getting me away from the old ball and chain, you mean? Well, being a royal guard, would you like to accompany me to Jehanna for a few days?"

Kyle gave a slight bow. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Great. I can use you as a character witness," Ephraim said.

Kyle looked confused. "Huh?"

"Besides, you and I don't have much time to talk anymore these days. Come along. Once you're ready for the trip, you can help me help the Jehanna company get packed to leave. Ross and Forde are already at the inn."

(Forde?) Kyle thought.

--

--at the inn...

--

Forde put his hands on his hips and stood at the back of a carriage just outside the inn. (This can't be happening!) he thought. (I'm actually here _working_ before I go to my parents' old place to _work_ some more. It's been days since I had a nap. I haven't painted in days either. I've done some sketches, though. But that's not the point. I haven't been living my life the way I normally would. I...don't understand why things are so different now.)

Kyle suddenly came to mind and Forde couldn't help giggling to himself. Seeing that guy in sexual situations was the best entertainment the blond could ever ask for. Forde never would have guessed upon first meeting the serious little green-haired boy that he'd get so worked up over the little things Kyle did: the faces Kyle made when he was angry; the blush on Kyle's face when he was embarrassed; the little sounds Kyle couldn't help making when he was trying to hold back that sexual excitement... And to think, he, Forde, was the one causing all of it. Especially that last one.

(For someone who prides himself on self-control, he really loses it whenever I touch him or even kiss him for that matter,) Forde thought. He blushed as he recalled all their intimate encounters. (I wonder if we went further would he completely let go...) The red paladin imagined a fully aroused Kyle using the full power of his vocal cords rather than that cute whimpering sound Forde loved to hear. The blond was sure he'd enjoy it if Kyle really let it all out.

Then Forde frowned. (The only time he really lets me get close to him is when it's dark. Any other time he runs away...)

A loud thud caught Forde's attention and he looked at the luggage piled on the ground in front of him.

"Have you done _anything_ since we started, Forde?" Ross asked, wiping the sweat from his brow. "This looks like the same stuff that's been out here since the beginning."

Forde smiled at Ross. "Man, you're gonna be as big and strong as your father pretty soon." His patented attempt to change the subject.

Ross blushed a little.

"By the way, why didn't your dad come to the wedding? Everyone from the war was invited," Forde went on to say.

"He was having some trouble with his back, so he couldn't make the trip," Ross told him. "He sent his warmest regards to everyone though."

Attempt to change the subject: successful. Forde nodded. "Well, I sure hope he gets better soon."

"Knowing Dad, he will," Ross said with a proud smile.

Tethys came around on the other side of the carriage with a small bag. "Ah, there you are, Ross. Ewan said that you would let Sir Forde talk you out of working. It seems that he was right."

Ross narrowed his eyes. "He said that, did he? I'll show him." He went stomping back into the inn.

Tethys smiled at Forde and practically spinned over to him, putting her arms around one of his. "I had a wonderful time at the wedding, though I must say that I'm very, very disappointed that we weren't able to spend more time together."

"Tethys, it's great seeing you again just before you leave," Forde said with an uncomfortable laugh. "Where are Gerik and Joshua, by the way?" Yet another attempt to change the subject.

"You have a beautiful woman on your arm and you're worried about two mercenary junkies? You've been out in the heat for too long, dear Sir Forde," Tethys said with her most charming smile. "Why didn't you come to see me after the wedding? We were here for a whole day after the fact."

Attempt to change the subject: failed. "Well, you see, the thing is...I thought you guys would be in town longer. And then there was the attack at the border. It's been a busy couple of days," Forde explained. He looked at the pile of luggage before him. "I'm sorry. I really should get back to work."

"Well, I suppose I should let you get busy. I'm sure the others are just about ready to leave," Tethys sighed.

Suddenly there came the sound of two horses riding up and Forde turned to face them. He smiled at the new arrivals and waved his free hand at them. "Your Majesty! Kyle! Good! I guess this means you can help me with all this."

Ephraim dismounted and looked at the luggage that had piled up. "It looks like you could use a hand." He looked at Kyle. "Kyle, you help out here. I'll see if they need anything inside." He quickly made his way into the inn.

Kyle didn't even see the luggage. All he saw was Tethys with her arm in Forde's. (What's he so happy about? He left this morning without a single word and now I see him like this with her?) Kyle thought. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. (Don't jump to conclusions, Kyle. He's just here to help them pack.) He hopped off his horse and strode over to the pile of luggage.

"Kyle?" Forde asked. (What's that look?)

"It looks like I'll have a long wait before I can see you again. Try not to get married while I'm gone, okay?" Tethys went on.

Forde had forgotten all about the young lady who was still clinging to his arm. "Oh, right. Well, I can pretty much guarantee that I won't wed any time soon. I'm not really that likable."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Tethys told him.

Kyle rolled his eyes as he listened to Tethys and Forde's little banter. He started slinging luggage into the carriage with loud thuds.

"I like you well enough," Tethys went on to say.

Forde gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well, I--"

Before Kyle was even aware that he'd moved, he took Forde's other arm and pulled him away from Tethys. "Excuse us. Good old likable Forde has some work to do. You should probably finish getting your things together." He gave Forde a stern look and pulled him over to the carriage.

Tethys looked surprised and then walked back toward the inn, muttering something about Kyle being a workaholic and a killjoy.

"Whew! Thanks for doing that. I thought she'd never leave me alone," Forde said.

Kyle looked at Forde angrily.

The blond knight cringed. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me," Kyle growled. "I won't even talk about what was happening just now. What I want to know is what you're doing here and why you didn't wake me this morning."

"Well, I didn't want to wake you. You were sleeping so peacefully," Forde said with a smile.

The green-haired knight put his hands on his hips and looked completely unamused.

"Don't look like that, Kyle. Sheesh. You can be pretty scary sometimes," Forde told him. "I'm here because I ran into Ross this morning and he said he was coming over here to help pack." He looked away. "Besides, I thought you were mad at me because of last night, so I gave you a little space," he added quietly.

Kyle's expression softened. "Mad at you? You didn't do anything wrong. I thought you were mad at me."

Forde laughed. "Yeah. Like, when have I ever been mad at you about something?" He thought for a moment, then frowned. "Well, if you weren't upset about last night, then..." He smiled when he thought about the whole thing with Tethys a moment ago. "Don't tell me you were jealous just now."

"Jealous?" Kyle asked, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "You mean, Tethys? No. I just didn't want you slacking on the job. We're supposed to be working." He began moving some of the luggage again.

The blond laughed to himself. (Kyle's jealous! How adorable!) Then he looked at the luggage. "Yeah. It looks like we'll be working all day long. All this and then the house. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to doing a little work." He began putting luggage in the carriage as well.

"Oh, yeah. About that...," Kyle began. He frowned when he thought about the mission that lay ahead.

Forde turned back to Kyle, cocking his head to one side.

"Actually, there's been a slight change of plans," Kyle went on.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll have to put off our project for a while," Kyle said slowly.

Forde looked at Kyle for a long time. "But...I thought we were gonna finish up at my parents'--no, at OUR house today."

"I'm sorry, Forde, but King Ephraim asked me to ride with him to Jehanna. I know you were looking forward to finishing today, but it'll have to wait for about a week, alright?"

Forde felt like pouting, but he didn't. "It's alright." He sounded disappointed enough.

And Kyle could see the disappointment written all over the blond's face. "One week at the most. And I'll be back so we can finish things up."

"I can't believe that you're basically going on a mission without me," Forde said. "But that's fine. I'll just find something else to do while you're gone. Maybe I can get some painting done."

"Yeah..."

Forde frowned. (So much for putting me in his number one spot. What did I expect? Our king made a request and Kyle jumped on it. It's not unusual.) He silently went back to piling luggage into the carriage and Kyle silently did the same.

--

Not even a half hour later and the Jehanna crew was ready to ride with the addition of King Ephraim and Sir Kyle. Everyone was standing outside the inn waiting to depart.

Forde put his hands in his pockets and frowned. (This means I'll have to spend the next week without Kyle around,) the blond thought. (We haven't been separated for this long in a long time...) When he glanced at his green-haired friend, he found that he was looking back at him.

"Hey, Tethys," Ewan said to his sister. "I know I've asked this already, but can I please stay here for just a little while longer?"

"Ewan, I already told you. I can't leave you here in an inn by yourself," Tethys told him. "You're too young."

"But I want to hang out with intelligent people my age. The young crowd back in Jehanna are all dunces," Ewan explained. "At least here I can be with Franz and Amelia."

Ross cleared his throat. "What about me?"

Ewan looked at Ross. "You, unfortunately, go under that dunce category I was talking about."

Ross growled at him.

"I'm sorry, Ewan. I can't let you stay here by yourself," Tethys repeated.

Ewan put his head down in utter disappointment.

"He could stay with me and my dad," Ross said.

Gerik laughed. "With the way you and Ewan carry on, you'd both drive poor Garcia insane."

Tethys sighed. "Even if you did stay here with them, how do you think you'd get back home?"

Forde just looked at them for a while. "I can take him back."

Kyle looked surprised.

Tethys sighed again. "Well, then, if you're willing to do all that, it'll be your responsibility to keep him out of trouble," she said to Forde.

Forde was about to say something when he was interrupted by a cheer from Ewan. "Wow! Thanks you guys. You really saved me," the little redhead said. He patted both Forde and Ross on the back. "I'll be on my best behavior, Sis."

"I somehow doubt that," Tethys laughed.

Joshua laughed and patted Forde on the shoulder. "Let this be a word of warning to you, Forde. Don't take your eye off that little guy for a second. He may be small, but he's also smart."

Forde attempted to make another comment, but then Kyle's hand was on his shoulder. "Well, if you were looking for something to do while I was gone, you've got it."

Saleh walked over to Forde. "If he's overly energetic, just try to teach him something he doesn't already know. Be warned, though. He catches on fast."

Before Forde could even get a word in edgewise, everyone had started heading out. The blond slowly turned to look at Ewan, who was using his magic to set mini fires under Ross's feet, causing the larger boy to dance about as he tried to dodge the little flames.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Forde asked himself.

--

_To be continued..._

--

a/n: This did not turn out the way I planned! This did not turn out the way I planned at all! They were supposed to move on in together in this chapter. What the hell just happened here? This story is doing things I never intended on it doing. 1) It was supposed to be a one shot and it wasn't. 2) It was supposed to end right after the wedding and it didn't. 3) It was supposed to be rated Teen and it's not. Now, 4) they were supposed to move in together and they're not...yet. But at least separating them should prove interesting. If it doesn't, I'm sorry.

a/n: I'm thinking of changing the rating on this story. Please take a quick second to give me a yay or nay on that one if you have the time. And also don't forget to visit My Forums on my author's page so you can cast your vote. Alright, I've talked long enough. Been extra chatty this time around. I'd better run. Bye-bye.


	17. Chapter 17

a/n: I've returned. Thank you to all the beautiful people out there who suffer through my long bouts of utter disarray, patiently waiting for a new chapter. Your reviews are wonderful and inspiring to say the least.

a/n: As you can probably guess, the focus of this chapter will be a little different, since Forde and Kyle won't be in the same vicinity. So, in other words, this chapter was really just me having fun with some of the other guys in the story. Namely Ewan and Ross (even though this story isn't about those two).

a/n: Now aside from this chapter being much longer and much different than the others, I was in the middle of moving across the country and my brain still hasn't reinstalled properly from that. Unfortunately, I also caught a massive case of "gamer's fingers" in between.

----------------

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 17_

----------------

--back at Renais Castle....

----------------

(They're teenagers for goodness sake. How hard can they be to deal with? If I get them all together, they'll deal with each other just fine,) Forde thought. (I don't actually have to literally keep my eye on them.)

The blond gave a great sigh and looked at Ewan and Ross, who were walking in front of him as they all headed toward Franz's quarters.

"I already told you, I'm not doing any more of your riddles," Ross said to the young mage.

"Here we go," Ewan said, ignoring Ross's objection.

"Ewan, you're not listening. I said I wasn't--" Ross began.

"This is an easy one," Ewan went on.

Ross groaned. "I'm not doing it--"

"There are a hundred houses in a village and you have to paint on the house numbers from one to one hundred. How many times will you have to paint the number nine?" Ewan asked.

Both Forde and Ewan could practically see the wheels in Ross's head turning.

Forde couldn't help smiling at the way Ewan was watching Ross think. That cheeky little redhead had a look in his eyes that Forde wasn't fully able to describe. Even though Ewan was teasing Ross, there seemed to be something else there.

"I'll give you a hint. There are two ways to go about answering this one," Ewan said with a grin. "Would you like me to repeat the scenario?"

"Shhhh," Ross said, stopping in his tracks. "Give me a minute...."

And Forde was just sure that Ross had decided not to play along with Ewan. Not that the blond would have been able to answer the question, but of course, he didn't care to either. He went over and knocked on Franz's door.

"Whoa there, Ross. Don't think too hard or you'll break something," Ewan said with a chuckle. "I even reduced the difficulty of this brainteaser to compensate for the minuscular capacity of your brain. Aren't I nice?"

"For some reason, I feel like you're underestimating me," Ross said.

Forde only shook his head and knocked on Franz's door again. "Hey, Bro. You awake?" he called through the door.

After a moment, Franz opened the door, his hair tousled and his eyes full of sleep. "Oh, morning, Forde."

"You're usually up earlier than this. What happened?" Forde asked.

"Sorry. I had a late night last night. I--" Franz began. He looked out into the hallway at his other two visitors. "Ewan, I thought you were going home today."

Ewan turned his attention to Franz. "I _was_, until I realized that I wanted to stay here a little longer."

Ross was still deep in thought.

"I'm surprised your sister let you stay here all alone," Franz commented.

"Well, I'll actually be staying with Ross and his father, but I'll definitely be spending most of my time with you...and Amelia, of course," Ewan said. He turned back to Ross and studied the fighter's level of concentration.

Franz frowned when Ewan mentioned Amelia. "Of course."

"Well, why were you up so late last night?" Forde asked. He stood close to Franz and put an arm around his shoulder. "Were you out with Amelia, hm?" he asked quietly.

Franz's face immediately reddened. "I was, but it wasn't what you're thinking. I took her out for some fishing and a picnic. It lasted much longer than either of us thought, but since Amelia said she didn't mind, we just stayed out there and looked at the stars for a while. I guess we lost track of time because we got back really late."

Forde grinned and tousled Franz's hair even more than it already was. "Look at you. You're all romantic and everything. But don't play innocent with me. I already know you've at least kissed her because I was spying on you two in the training yard not that long ago."

That got both Ross and Ewan's attention. Ewan signaled for Ross to stay quiet and the two inconspicuously moved closer to listen in on Franz and Forde's conversation.

Franz turned a deeper shade of red.

"Ah, look at that blush. So tell me, Franz. What was really going on besides looking at the stars? Come on. I'm your big brother. You can tell me anything," Forde said.

Franz averted his eyes. "Alright, we kissed a little.... And we touched a little."

"Oo, touched a little where?" Forde pried.

The shorter blond looked at his elder brother in surprise.

"Just give me the dirt, will ya?" Forde went on to say.

"It's disrespectful to talk about something so personal," Franz replied.

"It's not a big deal, Franz. I'm your brother. I'm supposed to give you pointers, but I can't do that unless I know what's been going on already."

Franz averted his eyes once again. "Just her waist and stuff."

"What's 'and stuff'?"

Franz began looking uncomfortable. "Just her waist and her legs, okay?"

"What about you? Where'd she touch you?"

"You're so nosy," Franz muttered.

"You're not answering the question," Forde said in a sing-song kinda way.

When Franz looked around to make sure no one was listening, he spotted Ewan and Ross moving ever closer up behind Forde. He frowned at them.

"Hey, don't mind us, Franz," Ewan said. "I gave Ross a brainteaser and he's working on figuring that out. We're completely preoccupied over here. Can't hear a word you're saying."

"But Ewan, I thought you said that we should get all the sexy details so you could try those moves on Amelia yourself," Ross reminded the redhead.

Both Forde and Franz gave the same shocked look.

Ewan quickly pulled out one of his tomes and bopped Ross on the forehead with it. "You over-sized dolt. You're ruining the plan."

"Ow," Ross said, though it couldn't have hurt that much.

Franz looked a little irritated, but Forde smiled. "Sorry, Ewan. While you're really cute and charming and all, I have to say that my little brother's already won Amelia's heart," the taller blond said.

Ewan chuckled. "Time will tell on that, Sir Forde."

----------

--on the road to Jehanna....

----------

Kyle understood exactly why he'd agreed to make this ride to Jehanna with his king, but what he didn't understand was why he felt so guilty about it. Thinking about Forde lying there in bed last night and speaking so enthusiastically about working on their house pulled at Kyle's heartstrings a little too late. The blond was actually excited about the whole thing. Then when he thought about WHY Forde was excited about it, he frowned. (He wants to see what I'll do when I don't have anymore excuses....)

It was amazing how long Kyle had been riding along before he even realized that the sun was high in the sky. Had he been so deep in thought that half the day had already gone by? The green knight looked over at his king, who was talking with Gerik and Joshua. He noticed that Tethys was talking TO Marisa because Marisa never really opened her mouth. And then there were Natasha and Saleh, who sat silently beside one another. The only thing missing from this scene was Forde. The blond would have probably tried to do something to liven things up, making a complete fool of himself in the process.

Kyle smiled at the thought. (I'm thinking about him again....) But he didn't try to stop himself. It wasn't like anyone could read his mind. He could just let himself enjoy thinking of his dearest friend. The friend who was always beside him whether he wanted him there or not.

The two of them had shared in so many things. So many good times. So many bad times. They'd made it through things that others would surely die just watching. They'd taken care of each other when they were sick. They'd patched each other's wounds. They'd slept side by side. They'd--

Ephraim's voice broke through Kyle's thoughts, "I won't lie to you, Kyle." His king was suddenly riding beside him, but he did his best to seem unrattled by His Majesty's sudden appearance. Ephraim paused after his strange comment.

Kyle looked at the king for a while. "What is it, Your Highness?"

"I have an ulterior motive for bringing you along with me," Ephraim said. "Not only do I need you around as my royal guard, but I also need you in Jehanna as--how should I put this? A 'sign of good faith', perhaps?"

"Hm. You mentioned something earlier about being a 'character witness', I believe," Kyle said. "Though I must admit, I didn't understand your meaning."

"Ah, that's right. Well, it seems that the queen doesn't quite trust me to make any trips without her. A trip to Jehanna bothers her more than anything, however, because it's where Darkling Woods is located," Ephraim explained.

Kyle gave a nod. "Myrrh...."

"Of course I'm going to see her," Ephraim said. "The problem is that Tana doesn't trust me to visit her for some reason. I've told her time and again that Myrrh is simply a friend. That's where you come in. If you're here with me, she'll know that nothing untrustworthy is going on."

Kyle looked at the king for another long while. "Sire, I'm not an expert on relationships, but wouldn't it have been better to bring the queen along instead of me? Then she'd have no reason to suspect you of anything."

Ephraim just looked at Kyle for a moment.

There was a long silence between them and Kyle slowly raised his eyebrows, hoping that his king would make a comment at the very least.

It was another long while before Ephraim decided to say something. "I see," he murmured. "I should've considered the situation before I acted. I admit that I acted more out of anger than anything." He sighed. "But I don't understand. Tana knows I care about her. It's true that when I married her, it was more of a tactical maneuver than an act of love, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about her. She means the world to me and there's no one I'd rather have at my side than someone as strong-willed and talented as she."

Kyle knew nothing of love really, so there was nothing he could say to his king on the topic. But regardless of want for political stability, he had a feeling that Ephraim really did love Tana. He frowned at his own thought. (I think I'm getting soft in my old age and I'm not even in my thirties yet,) Kyle thought.

"It makes me wonder what she thinks I would do," Ephraim went on. "Is she under the impression that I would cheat on her?"

(Is he asking ME?) Kyle wondered.

"She thinks I'm on this trip to see Myrrh," Ephraim said out loud to himself.

Kyle looked at his king strangely. "But Sire, you ARE on this trip to see Myrrh. You even told her so."

Ephraim appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Well, if I wanted to cheat on her, she should know that I wouldn't tell her. I'd try to hide it instead."

"Well, Your Highness. You have to think of it from her perspective," Kyle said. "She knows that you're more tactical than anything, so she probably assumes that you're trying to hide it out in the open. Rather than hiding it by hiding it, that is."

Ephraim suddenly had a look of enlightenment. "You know, you're right. She thinks that I'm cheating on her, but telling her where I'm going and who I'm going to see. It would be ingenious if I actually planned on doing it that way." He sighed. "But Myrrh is just a friend. Besides, there are two reasons I didn't bring Tana with me. One: We need someone back at the castle. And two: She'd cause animosity. Tana tends to be jealous of the strangest things. She told me once that she was jealous of Eirika because I was always with her. Imagine that. Me wanting to spend time with my twin sister."

(This must really be bothering His Majesty. It's very unlike him to be so talkative. Especially when it doesn't involve battle strategies,) Kyle thought. But of course, he listened to his king's grievances and nodded.

----------

--back at Renais castle....

----------

Franz had asked them not to wake Amelia until lunchtime, which received more teasing from Forde. And Ross hadn't figured out the brainteaser yet, which received more teasing from Ewan. The four spent the majority of the morning just touring the castle, not that they hadn't all seen the place before. Ewan had somehow gotten his hands on some loose thread and was making string figures. Any time Ross would ask him to teach him how to do it, Ewan would tell him:

"You can't even figure out a simple brainteaser. How do you expect to use those big clumsy hands of yours to manipulate string?"

Things didn't really get interesting for them until they made their way to the training yard, where they met with Seth and Cormag.

They all greeted each other and of course Ewan was again questioned as to how he managed to stay behind when the entire Jehanna party had headed out of town.

"It takes genius and cunning to talk a headstrong lady like my sister into anything," Ewan told Seth.

"But Ewan, weren't you whining and begging to stay? It took my offering to let you stay with me and my dad and Sir Forde's offering to take you home for your sister to let you stay," Ross spilled his guts.

As Ross was speaking, Ewan slowly pulled out a fire tome and began quietly reading from it. Once again, miniature camp fires lit beneath Ross's feet and the fighter began dancing to escape the little mage's wrath.

Forde laughed out loud and Franz looked a little worried.

"Hey, stop bullying him," Franz said to Ewan.

Forde laughed even louder. (To think, the little guy is bullying the bigger one. Now that's what I call humor,) the elder blond thought. He was about to pull out some equipment so he could make a quick sketch of the scene, but he hadn't brought any with him.

Even Cormag chuckled a little and he whispered something to Seth that made the Silver Knight smile.

"Alright, guys. I say it's time to take a break from your training," Forde finally said to Seth and Cormag. "It's lunch time. I know you're hungry."

"You're right, Forde," Seth said. "Cormag and I were about to head to the mess hall pretty soon anyway."

"Great," Forde said. He turned to the younger ones. "Alright, listen up, kids."

"And just who are you calling kids?" Ewan asked, relinquishing his attacks on Ross.

Ross stopped dancing and walked back over to where they stood. "Yeah. We're not kids anymore."

"Shocking, considering you both knew to whom I was referring," Forde laughed. "You too, Franz. Come here."

Franz sighed, but did as he was told.

"Alright. It's lunch time. You three go and collect Amelia. I'm gonna head to the mess hall with Seth and Cormag," Forde told them. "Alright? Let's get to work."

"Right," Franz said. He was already heading back toward the knights' quarters.

Ewan and Ross looked at each other.

"Wonder why he's sending us with Franz. According to Forde, Amelia is Franz's girl," Ewan murmured.

"Beats me," Ross replied. "Come on." The two of them hurried after Franz.

Seth looked at Forde. "Is there any reason you sent all of them away like that?"

Cormag looked around. "Where's Kyle?"

"Yeah, you two are usually inseparable," Seth added.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you guys about," Forde began. He suddenly wasn't the happy-go-lucky guy they'd all seen a moment ago. As a matter of fact, it looked as though he might be on the verge of tears.

"What? Did something happen?" Seth asked.

"Well, last night I told him that I wanted to finish fixing up the house today, but instead, he took a mission from King Ephraim. He took a mission without me," Forde explained, nearly whining.

"Wait, slow down," Seth told him.

"We kinda had a fight last night and he claimed that he wasn't upset, but he still took the mission," Forde went on.

Cormag chuckled to himself.

"What are you laughing about? This is serious!" Forde said to Cormag.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so upset before, Forde. Not even during the war," Seth declared.

Forde pouted a little. "Why are you two making fun of me? I'm pouring my heart out here."

"We're not making fun of you," Seth assured him. He went over and put his hand on Forde's shoulder. "First of all, I don't really understand your story because you started from the end. Why don't you try starting from the beginning instead?"

"Okay," Forde said. "Kyle and I have been spending our nights in the same bed and we usually talk a little. I happened to mention that we should finish fixing up our new place as soon as possible. That if we worked the way we did yesterday, we should be done by today. Our nights together have been ending in...well.... For the sake of being subtle, I'll say that our clothes usually ended up pretty messy. But this time, he was the one who jumped me." The blond could feel his face turning red as he spoke. (They probably didn't need that much information,) he thought. "After I kinda played with him a little, that is," he added quietly. Then he started speaking aloud again. "So then I kinda teased him and called him a rabbit in heat...."

Cormag smirked, then leaned close to Seth and whispered something.

"No, that wasn't a good idea," Seth chuckled. "Considering Kyle's personality. But it was only to be expected from someone like Forde."

Forde narrowed his eyes at Seth and Cormag. "Well, excuse me if we don't have the picture perfect relationship that you two have."

"Our relationship is far from perfect," Seth told him. "We don't even live in the same country. Besides, we've had our share of ups and downs. But I'm sorry for interrupting. Please go on with your story."

Forde frowned. "Anyway, he pushed me away, as usual, so I left him alone after that. I couldn't really sleep, so I got up early the next day and I ran into Ross in the main hall. He told me that he was going to the inn to help Ewan and the others pack so they could head back home. I thought to myself, 'Hey, this is a good way to get my mind off of what happened last night', and so I joined them. Next thing I know, Kyle and King Ephraim come riding up and Kyle says that he's accompanying King Ephraim to Jehanna."

"Forde, you are aware that both you and Kyle work for the king, right?" Seth asked.

"Yeah, I know that, but--"

Seth nodded. "Please try not to take what Kyle did as a personal attack. He's sworn an oath to our king, same as you and me."

Forde lowered his head. "I know.... I guess I just thought that he'd put me before his job."

Cormag raised his eyebrows. "Kind of a brat, aren't you?" he murmured.

"What was that?" Forde asked Cormag.

"Listen. Had Cormag sent me a letter asking me to meet with him on a certain day and then our king asked me to do something on that day, I wouldn't even think twice about it. 'My life for king and country.' Do you remember that part of the oath? That doesn't just mean that you'll die in battle for your king. It also means that whatever is going on in your personal life comes _after _service to your king," Seth told Forde.

"Hm. I know. I guess I was just hoping that.... I don't know. I guess I was hoping that Kyle would break just one rule for my sake," Forde grumbled.

"He already has, hasn't he?" Cormag asked.

Forde looked utterly confused.

"That's right. He's going against the rules of the world to be with you," Seth said.

"Hmph. I don't know how 'with' me he is, considering we haven't even taken off our clothes yet," Forde murmured.

"It's not all about sex, you know," Seth reminded Forde.

"I know, but I'm getting a little frustrated," Forde said.

Cormag stifled a laugh.

Forde slowly turned to Cormag. "And then you two won't tell me who's doing whom so I can get a little advice on the subject." He looked the two over and thought for a moment. (Now with Gerik and Joshua, it was weird because Joshua's the smaller one, yet he was the one doing the plugging.... Seth and Cormag are weird because they're about the same size.... I don't know. Joshua liked to do all the talking and he was the one doing the plugging. So maybe since Seth does all the talking, he does the plugging too,) Forde thought. He smiled, suddenly being a self-proclaimed genius of deduction. "I've got it--"

Seth and Cormag looked at each other, then Seth said, "We won't tell you even if you get it right."

The blond paladin rolled his eyes. "Fine. You don't have to confirm it. I already know that Cormag's the one taking it in the--"

"Wait!" Cormag interrupted. "Why me?"

All the Silver Knight could do was look toward the heavens.

Forde grinned. "Because you don't say very much, so I figured you're the receiver."

Seth chuckled. "On what information are you basing your theory?"

Forde's confidence in his answer slowly began to wane. (Would they know about Gerik and Joshua? Probably not.... But then again, Seth seems to know just about everything when it comes to this type of thing,) he thought. "I talked to a couple of friends who are together."

"'A couple of friends who are together'? You mean, besides us?" Seth asked. "Who have you been talking to?"

Forde looked away. "I shouldn't say."

"Well, you can't just assume--" Cormag began.

"Now, now, Cormag. We wouldn't want to give Forde the impression that he's right or wrong," Seth said. "So tell me, Forde. What did you plan on doing with this information once you had it?"

"I just wanted to ask what it was like," Forde said, blushing like mad now. "I mean, I can imagine what it would be like for the giver, but to be the receiver.... I just don't see why someone would want to be on that end of it."

"So you're thinking of being the receiver?" Seth asked.

"No, I.... Well, I-I don't know," Forde murmured. He thought back to a couple of nights ago when he was rubbing himself up against Kyle's backside. The green-haired knight seemed so turned on by it and he'd responded so vigorously.... Perhaps Kyle was meant for that type of thing if he enjoyed it so much.

Then Forde thought about being in Kyle's position from that night. Having Kyle's arms around him and having Kyle's body pressed against his back. Having Kyle breathing in his ear and maybe even having him make those little sounds he so often made. He could practically feel Kyle's hardness against his bottom and he let out a quiet squeak when he realized he was getting excited from the thought of it. "Ah, um, we should meet with the others in the mess hall. They're probably there waiting for us."

----------

--Jehanna Group....

----------

"Hey, Kyle. Fall back with me. Let's talk for a minute," Joshua said, sending Kyle careening from his thoughts and back into reality.

Kyle, who had once again been caught thinking of his childhood friend, blinked and did as he was told, reducing his horse to a slow jog behind the carriage alongside Joshua. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to have a word with you, is all," Joshua said with his trademark smirk. "We didn't have a chance to finish our conversation last night."

(I'm surprised he remembers it considering how drunk he was,) Kyle thought. "I believe that was a conversation between you, Gerik and Forde. I had nothing to do with it."

"Oh, but you have everything to do with it," Joshua reminded him. "Forde seemed really curious about a sexual relationship between two men. And since you two are together--"

Kyle's face reddened, but he tried to hide it. "Not so loud. Besides, we haven't really talked about being...'together', so...." He frowned.

"You haven't talked about it? What's talking about it got to do with it? Gerik and I haven't really talked about it either, but we know we're together," Joshua said with a grin. "Listen, I know the idea of two guys being together is strange, especially to a rigid guy like you."

"I'm not rigid," Kyle murmured.

Joshua laughed. "Alright, what would you call it if you're not rigid?"

The paladin tried to think of a word that would describe his serious and unwavering dedication to any and everything in his life, but even that was incriminating.

"Well, my point isn't how rigid you are. My point is that dandies aren't accepted in society as something normal," Joshua went on.

"Hey, I'm no dandy," Kyle objected.

"Neither am I," Joshua continued. "But that's what two men in a relationship that's more than friendly are seen as. We're all dandies in their eyes. But that's not my point either. My point is that you two are getting to the point where things are pretty hot and heavy between the two of you. I saw it this morning when we were getting ready to leave. There's a lot of tension between you two--sexual tension--and it's almost time to take that next step."

Kyle looked away. This was all too much for him. (I didn't ask for any advice on this subject. Why am I listening to this?) he thought.

"Now, I won't lie, you two are in a totally different situation than Gerik and me," Joshua said. "I found out that I preferred men during the Great War, but I'd just randomly get guys that I liked drunk enough to stick my--"

"Alright!" Kyle interrupted. "I get what you're saying there."

"Well, anyway. Gerik's always liked women, so if you want his side of the story, you'd have to ask him. Either way, the two of us ended up in bed together because I knew what I wanted and Gerik was willing to accept me," Joshua said. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "And believe me, the sex was really hot. And it only gets hotter as time goes by. It was destiny that I plugged his back door that day." He opened his eyes and looked at Kyle, who's face had gone red with embarrassment. The green knight was obviously speechless. "Women are wonderful and beautiful creatures, truly, but you have to admit, they're pretty easy."

Kyle frowned at what Joshua said. "Can we not talk about this?"

"Wait. I'm just getting to the good stuff," Joshua told him. "I'll tell you what the best feeling in the world is. The best feeling in the world is having another man at your mercy, begging you for more. I don't know if it's a power trip, but being inside a man and having him call out your name and seeing the look on his face as you pound away at him...."

The green paladin tried not to picture himself lying across Forde's back with his most intimate body part enveloped by the blond. He tried not to imagine Forde lying underneath him, calling out his name and asking--no, begging--to be filled with his love heat. He didn't want to envision Forde's bangs plastered against his forehead with sweat, his cheeks stained pink and his breaths coming quick with their rigorous activity.

Kyle gasped quietly once he realized that he was imagining all the things he didn't want to imagine. Not only that, but he'd become quite excited while thinking of his blond friend. (The motion of this horse isn't helping either,) the paladin thought. With every step his horse took, Kyle grew more excited. He could only barely make out the fact that Joshua was still talking over imagining the sounds Forde would make.... (This is impossible. I had some relief last night, not to mention earlier yesterday. And then there was the night before. Why am I so worked up again? I don't believe this.)

Deep breathing, that was the answer. Deep breathing and thinking about something else....

"It looks like we'll be making a stop in Port Kiris for the night, ladies, so you'll have warm beds to sleep in," Gerik said to the women inside the carriage.

"Great," Tethys said. "I think I've had enough sleeping in the wild for three people's lifetimes."

There was something about hearing that woman's voice coming out of the coach that just grated on Kyle's nerves. (She's really beautiful, so I guess when she was flirting with Forde so much, I did feel a little insecure....) He blushed. (I guess I was pretty jealous when I saw them together. But I could never admit something like that to Forde.)

"Well, you ladies deserve the very best, so no sleeping on the ground tonight," Gerik told them, giving them a prize-winning smile.

The ladies of the carriage seemed ecstatic, except Marisa, of course.

"Now, are we stopping there for the ladies' sakes, or are we stopping there because our future king has gambling prospects there?" Saleh asked.

Joshua was now riding closer to the coach. "I heard that, Saleh. I may not be king right now, but I still have a huge say in whether or not we should burn down the kingdom's Magic Lab."

----------

--Renais Castle....

----------

Forde heard a commotion from the mess hall and was sure that those teens were causing it. "Sorry, guys. I'll have to finish talking to you about this later," he said to Seth and Cormag. "That sounds like my brother's voice." He hurried ahead of his two advisors, even though he was sure that it was nothing more than an argument.

When he got there, however, he found out something completely different. There was a full blaze alight in the middle of the dining area.

"I thought you could reverse spells, Ewan!" Franz was saying. He and Amelia had started hustling buckets of water to the blaze.

Ewan was working on putting out a fire on Ross's shorts. "I can reverse a MAGICAL fire! I can't reverse a REAL one!"

"But it's the result of a magical one!" Franz said.

"What in the world is going on here?" Forde asked. He looked around to make sure the rest of the place was barren, and thankfully it was. "I can't leave you guys alone for five minutes without something going wrong?"

"It was him!" both Ross and Ewan said.

"It was you, Ewan. You're the only mage here," Forde confirmed. "They told me that you tend to cause trouble. What am I going to do with you?"

"But Ross started it," Ewan tried to explain.

"How old are you? Three? You're always talking about how smart you are. Show a little maturity at least," Forde said. He thought for a minute. (I'm starting to sound like Kyle.)

"If the queen hears about this, there's gonna be trouble," Ross murmured.

"Well, the least we could do is take the next logical step," Forde told them.

--_less than a minute later_....

The five fire starters were in Forde's quarters with Forde closing and locking the door behind them.

The taller blond turned to the teens angrily. "Okay, this isn't working. There's a lake of water and charred tables in the mess hall. Seth and Cormag are gonna think I'm irresponsible after something like this." He frowned. "Now, normally I'd have you clean up, but instead I want you to do something else." ('Normally'?) he thought. (Nothing like this normally happens with me. It's not like I look after teenagers all the time.)

"Us too?" Amelia asked, referring to herself and Franz.

Forde looked at Amelia and smiled. "Actually, yes. I have an assignment for you two as well. I order you to go on a date."

Franz blushed. "Really? But what about--?"

"I won't hear it. You two go have some fun. Hurry, before I change my mind," Forde laughed.

Franz nodded and smiled at his brother. "Thanks." He quickly took Amelia's hand and ran out of the room.

"Oh, now that's just not fair," Ewan grumbled.

"What's not fair is that you never told me the answer to that brainteaser," Ross said.

Forde couldn't believe that they were thinking about brainteasers at a time like this.

"One. The answer is one. There's only one number nine from one to one hundred," Ewan sighed.

"Oh.... But you said there were two answers," Ross reminded him.

"Oh, the other answer I would've accepted was twenty," Ewan said nonchalantly.

"Twenty?" both Ross and Forde asked.

"Twenty," Ewan replied simply. " Between one and eighty-nine, there are nine. Then in the nineties there's one for every number from zero to eight, which is nine. Then two for ninety-nine, so that makes eleven. Nine plus eleven is twenty."

Forde raised his eyebrows. "Wow. I guess so, then."

Ross looked completely confused. "What?"

"Do you need me to draw a diagram for you? They say that small minds understand pictures better than words," Ewan said with a smirk.

"You dirty little--" Ross began.

"That's enough, you two. You rant at each other like a couple of brats," Forde said. He had to think aboutthat again. (People have said that about me and Kyle.)

"What is it you'll have us to do, Sir Forde?" Ross asked.

"Oh, don't act like you're all mature now," Ewan told Ross.

Forde felt his patience wearing thin. (I wonder if this is how Kyle feels when he has to put up with me all day. I should probably think about the way I act before I do things that I know will get on his nerves,) he thought.

He gave a great sigh and pulled out an extra easel and some paint brushes. "The kitchen crew is furious by now. I have something for you two to do while I try to explain away this little mishap. Have either of you ever painted before?"

Ross shook his head.

Ewan smiled. "Nope, but I've always found the idea fascinating."

"Good. Then I want you two to dally around until something creative comes about," Forde told them. He stacked several blank canvases and dug up some old colors he'd mixed a long time ago and had never used. "I'll be back before you know it." And before the youngsters had a chance to argue, Forde left. (I sure hope they don't decide to burn my room down.)

When he reentered the mess hall, he saw Cormag and Seth working on cleaning up the mess his group had made. The blond gave them an utterly confused look.

"Ah, we were just sure with the way you ran past us, that you weren't going to show your face here again," Cormag said.

Seth only laughed.

"Well, I just didn't want the younger ones getting caught. I mean, their reputations should stay clean at least for a while, right?" Forde said with an uncomfortable laugh. But he immediately lowered his head. "These kids are driving me bonkers and it's only the first day. And you two are the only help I have. I mean, Kyle completely vanished on me. As a matter of fact, he's the whole reason I took on this task in the first place. Since he wouldn't be here, I needed something else to occupy my time. I never thought that a couple of teenagers could cause so many problems."

"'So many problems'? Forde, it's just a little mess hall fire. This can be fixed," Seth said.

Forde pouted a little. "I know. It's just that those two argue constantly and I haven't had enough sleep for the past few weeks. And then Kyle's gone. I guess it's all taking its tole on me."

"I'd like to make a suggestion, if I may," Seth said to Forde.

"What is it?"

"I'd think that if you go ahead and fix your parents' old place up before Kyle gets back, he might be impressed with your maturity," Seth proposed.

"I can't fix that whole place up on my own by the time he gets back," Forde murmured. "Sure, the two of us probably could have completed it in one more day's time, but I can't do it alone."

"Well, it'd be a great project for a few energetic teenagers," Seth added.

"Thank goodness it's only those two and it's only with each other," Forde said. "And it's usually just Ewan who's causing trouble.... And it's usually just toward Ross. Those two are so funny."

Seth rolled his eyes. "They almost remind me of you and Kyle. Any time you two were together, you'd relentlessly pester the poor guy."

Forde laughed a little. "Are you saying that Ross and Ewan like each other or something?" He laughed even louder. "Seriously though, they're not like me and Kyle at all. Ewan is violent."

"I'm only saying that it's a possibility that they might like each other," Seth asked. "Maybe, just maybe, this is their way of coming to terms with what they feel."

Forde stopped laughing. "I was only kidding about that part...." He looked at Cormag. "What do you think about all this?"

Cormag shrugged. "Why do you ask me?"

"Cause you're one of us too. You're courting a man. You must have an opinion on the matter," Forde said.

"Well, I think Seth's just hoping to bring more people into the fold and he uses the power of suggestion to his advantage," Cormag told Forde. "He did it to me. He did it to you. And if those two don't watch out, he'll do it to them too."

Forde frowned.

"Wait a minute. You said that I did it to you? You were the one who came to me in the first place," Seth said.

Forde raised his eyebrows.

"You can't count the first few times. Those were completely different circumstances," Cormag explained quietly, but it was loud enough to be heard.

Forde looked confused. (What kind of relationship do these two have?)

"Not 'completely different'," Seth said. "Though I must say, the situation was unusual."

Forde narrowed his eyes at them. "You two are really making me wonder."

"Never you mind. You should concentrate on those teenagers," Seth told Forde. "Where are they, by the way?"

"I left them in my room...alone...with paint," Forde said, slowly coming to the grips with the things that could happen to his room.

"You should really keep an eye on them," Seth warned. "Don't worry about the mess in here. Cormag and I will clean up."

Cormag only nodded.

"Thanks guys. I owe you big time," Forde said.

The blond ran back to his quarters and low and behold, the entire room was covered in paint, including the two youngsters therein....

----------

--Day 2....

----------

When Kyle awoke the next morning, he was sprawled across a chair in an inn room. He was uncomfortable and he could feel a cramp in his back and a crick in his neck. He had an awful taste in his mouth, his head was pulsating with pain and he had absolutely no memory of how he got there. (I was so upset about not keeping my word to Forde that I let myself be talked into drinking myself into a stupor,) he thought, every word that crossed his mind sending more pain through his brain. The light hurt his eyes, and sadly, soon after he rubbed the sleep out of them, he spotted Joshua and Gerik lying naked on top of the covers.

Kyle quickly turned away, only to discover one more shocking bit of information. His pants were undone and his manflesh was exposed. The green-haired knight's brain went into overdrive trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together.

(Me with a huge headache and no memory of how I got here. That's the easy part. I drank too much last night,) Kyle thought. (Now, I'm in a chair in Gerik and Joshua's room.... Those two are naked.... My pants are undone and I'm hanging out....) That part just wasn't making sense to him.

As he was putting himself away and adjusting his clothes, he noticed a long line of something that had obviously dried on the chair he had been sleeping in. Kyle stared blankly at the dried line, immediately recognizing its properties from nights of sharing a bed with Forde and days of washing his pants afterward....

"Ah, good morning," Gerik said as he slowly and carefully sat up with a yawn.

Kyle looked at Gerik and was immediately reminded of why he shouldn't. (I guess he doesn't mind being naked,) he thought. The green paladin rubbed his eyes and groaned. "I'm afraid to ask why I'm in your room and not my own."

Gerik was playing at his sleeping lover's hair a little, but he stopped and looked at Kyle. "Hm, I guess you wouldn't remember, considering how much whiskey you put away after the beer."

"Whiskey.... So that's what that taste is...," Kyle grumbled.

"Well, you asked for a show first hand, so we gave you one," Gerik said simply.

Kyle reddened and lowered his head. "That was so indecent of me. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize. You enjoyed it," Gerik told him.

Kyle groaned again and covered his face with his hands. "No way...."

"Actually, I don't think it was the two of us doing it that you enjoyed," Gerik went on to say. "After we showed you the preparations and got started, you were pretty much on your own after that, humping that chair and calling out Forde's name."

All Kyle could do was plop back down in the chair, still covering his face.

"You also almost got me in trouble with Joshua because he forgot you were there and he thought I was calling out some other guy's name," Gerik laughed. "I'll tell you something, I won't be riding on horseback today, that's for sure."

----------

--back in Renais....

----------

Yesterday had been a disaster, but he had plans for these two boys this time. He wouldn't take his eyes off them and he would keep them preoccupied with something that they couldn't possibly make a mess of. It was ingenious, if Forde said so himself. (Though I wasn't the one who came up with it,) he thought.

He was currently riding on horseback much too early in the morning for his taste. (The village of Ide is never as far away as it seems,) Forde thought as he showed up at the front of Garcia and Ross's house, pulling along another horse behind him for Ross and Ewan to ride. He could hear the sound of someone on the chopping block and immediately assumed it was Garcia. He hadn't seen the warrior when he brought Ewan and Ross home yesterday, so he thought it would be a good idea to say hello.

After tying up the horses, Forde stepped around to the back of the house, and sure enough there stood Garcia, working away at chopping wood. "Garcia. It's been a while," Forde said with his usual smile.

Garcia looked at him and waved a greeting. "Forde, you're looking well."

"So are you, for a man who injured his back," Forde said.

"Ah, my son must have told you that. Sometimes he over-exaggerates, you know," Garcia said. "It was only a light strain, but I didn't want to put any excess stress on it, so I took a couple of days to rest. I feel as good as new now."

Forde nodded. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm here to pick up the boys. I hope they haven't been giving you any trouble."

"They were a little rowdy yesterday when they first got here, but I haven't heard a peep from them all morning," Garcia said. "Go on inside. They're probably waiting for you."

"Thanks," Forde said. He headed in through the back door and looked around. Indeed there was no sound. Forde was just sure they would argue about _something_ from the moment they awoke to the moment they went to sleep. When he entered the kitchen, he saw the two sitting at the table, humbly finishing off breakfast. "Hey...."

Ross nodded to Forde and Ewan just looked at him and took his dirty plate to the sink.

The blond couldn't believe it. (Maybe they're just not morning people,) he thought. "Alright, it's time to go, guys."

Once they were all set to move, Forde couldn't help looking at them strangely. Ewan had insisted on riding with him instead of with Ross and neither of them had said anything to each other the entire time.

"Uh, you two are a lot less chatty with each other than usual," Forde pointed out.

The two youths didn't even look at each other.

There was a long, loooooooong silence before Ewan finally spoke up.

"Would you invite someone to stay at your house if you don't have enough bedding for a guest?" Ewan asked Forde.

Ross looked surprised.

Forde laughed. "Well, where did you sleep then, Ewan?"

"I slept in his bed with him!" Ewan shouted.

Ross frowned. "You're not even grateful. I could've offered you the floor."

"If I'd known you'd be all over me like you were when I woke up, I probably would've slept on the floor instead," Ewan said.

Forde laughed even louder. "What?"

"Do you know what it's like to have a big brute with his heavy arm around you, lying right there, breathing in your face?" Ewan asked. "Never mind the fact that his morning breath leaves something to be desired--"

Ross growled. "Who asked you? Besides, your morning breath isn't the best either."

Forde was laughing so hard that he thought his sides would split.

"Anyway, I didn't hear any of those complaints this morning. You wouldn't even talk to me," Ross said.

"I was too traumatized!" Ewan answered. "And it's not like you said anything to me either."

The blond chuckled. "Well, at least you're back to talking, even if it IS to bite the other's head off."

"I'm sleeping on the floor tonight," Ewan insisted. "I can't have something like that happen again. It was too terrifying."

Ross looked a little hurt.

Forde couldn't help continuing to chuckle at the situation.

----------

--Jehanna....

----------

A bunch of complete strangers were standing outside the Port Kiris inn when the Jehanna party was about to depart.

"Hey, I remember you guys. You're from last night. Those guys I took all that money from," Joshua said with a grin on his face.

Ah, so apparently they weren't complete strangers. There were about four pirates, four mercenaries, two thieves and two archers. Unfortunately for the band of upstarts, this group was plenty used to being outnumbered.

Gerik hopped out of the coach and smirked. "Don't get too cocky, Joshua."

"Yeah, yeah." Joshua dismounted from his horse and put his hands on his hips. "How can I help you, gentlemen?"

"We're here to take everything you've got," one of the mercenaries said. This one was obviously the leader. "Including what you won from us last night and a few nights ago."

Joshua squinted to get a good look at the group. Then he turned to Gerik. "Are these really the guys from when we were heading toward Renais too?"

"Looks like it," Gerik answered.

"Wow, you guys really have a case of hard luck, then. I'll tell you what. I won't take any more of your money if you let us pass," Joshua offered, still grinning.

All of the upstarts pulled their weapons.

"What makes you think you have a say in the matter?" the leader asked.

Both Kyle and King Ephraim readied their spears, but Joshua held up his hand. "Sorry, guys, but you had your fun in your own country. It's time we had some fun in ours."

While Joshua was speaking to Ephraim and Kyle, two arrows had been fired at him, yet before either of them made contact, there was a flash and both arrows fell before him, sliced in half lengthwise.

The group of thugs looked completely baffled until a shamshir's point came to rest under the leader's chin. And at the hilt of that shamshir stood Marisa. No one had even seen her leave the carriage.

Kyle could only look on in admiration at the accuracy and sheer speed at which Marisa had performed her attacks. (She probably could have taken out this whole brigade by herself without so much as batting an eyelash,) he thought. And it reminded him of the never-ending debate that he and Forde always had. His blond companion opted for speed rather than strength; on the other hand, Kyle chose strength over speed. He had to admit, however, that it was actually skill that determined whether you win or lose. If you don't work on technique, all your strength and all your speed would be wasted.

"How about this? You guys go about your business and we'll go about ours," Marisa suggested.

It was the most Kyle had heard her say the entire trip.

Needless to say, the band of losers disbursed, leaving the Jehanna group to their own devices once more.

As Marisa was about to put away her sword, Joshua looked at her and sighed. "That's just great, Marisa. I was looking forward to getting a little exercise."

Marisa just glared at him as she sheathed her shamshir and got back inside the coach with Saleh, Natasha and Tethys. Gerik only laughed and followed Marisa.

From what Gerik had told him, Kyle was almost certain that Joshua had had enough exercise last night.

----------------

_To be continued...._

----------------

a/n: Okay, so nothing really happened in this chapter. I hope it was entertaining nonetheless. And things didn't go as planned (they rarely do for me). This chapter was actually supposed to be longer, but I ended up editing it down, cutting parts out, and then cutting it short (hence the sloppy and choppy execution). The 'cutting it short' part came about because I wasn't quite finished with the rest of it. I figured it would be better to get another chapter out than to get to the point that I wanted to get to. It was a long time coming, but I hope I haven't put any of you off with such a long wait. Hopefully the next wait won't be as long. There's not much more to go now. And please let me know if this chapter was too confusing for you. Thanks for the patience and the love.


	18. Chapter 18

a/n: Alright, here's another chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed the last one. Once again, I ended up cutting things out of this chapter and re-editing it. As a matter of fact, I ended up cutting a lot more out of this one than I did the last one. Hopefully that won't cause any confusion. Now, on with the story.

----------------

_Turn and Face the Strange_

_by CorrosiveMidnight_

_Part 18_

----------------

--Still Day 2 - Renais....

----------

Forde arrived at his parents' old house, Ewan on his horse with him and Ross on another horse. He looked at the lawn's overgrowth and smiled. "I have a job for you, Ewan."

Both Ewan and Ross looked confused, mainly because Forde hadn't told them where they were going and so had no idea where they were.

"Wait a minute," Ewan said. "What's this? Where are we?"

Forde hopped off his steed and helped Ewan down. "This, my young mischief-makers, is my new house. Or my old house. It's my parents' old house and Kyle and I are gonna make it our new house." He was obviously confusing himself in the process of trying to explain.

And he confused Ross even more. The poor boy was still sitting atop the horse he rode in on with a completely lost expression.

Ewan raised his eyebrows. "Really? So you're moving out of the castle? That's pretty cool. But why are you moving here with Kyle of all people? Don't you two hate each other?"

Forde tried to fight off a blush, to no avail. "No, we don't hate each other. We're best friends. We both just wanted a change of scenery," he told them. "Anyway, you guys are gonna help me fix it up. Starting with you, Ewan. I'd like for you to burn down this lawn. Without burning down the rest of the property, mind you. Ross and I will go get some water out back."

Ewan frowned. "Oh, come on."

"Hey, now your destructive nature is finally gonna come in handy," Ross said with a laugh.

"Yeah, whoever thought your spells would be useful outside of battle?" Forde commented, also laughing.

Ewan turned red with anger and pulled out his Elfire tome. While the other two were laughing, Ewan read from the book and a huge flame ignited underneath both of them.

----------

--Jehanna Group....

----------

The travelers decided to stop for a late lunch. While some of them were working on preparing the food, the others were performing some maintenance on their transportation. At the moment, Kyle was grooming his horse, but for some reason his eyes fell on Tethys. Tethys, the Disruptor. He had to admit that it must have been frustrating to be a beautiful woman, yet have no idea why the man you're in love with has no interest in you whatsoever. It was a well-known fact that she loved Gerik. Unfortunately for her, Kyle knew the reason she couldn't win his heart. Gerik was in a full-on relationship with Joshua.

But unfortunately for Kyle, Tethys seemed to be working her way around to Forde....

Kyle suddenly noticed Tethys walking over to him and he wanted to walk in the other direction.

"Hi, Sir Kyle," Tethys began.

(This can only be bad,) Kyle thought. Regardless of the fact that she was a beautiful and charming woman, the green paladin dreaded being in her presence.

"I sense some negative vibes from you every time you look at me," Tethys went on.

(I have to give her credit for being direct,) Kyle thought. "What gives you that idea?" It was the snappiest thing he'd said since he was with Forde.

"Well, I just have a sixth sense about these things. I mean, ever since the wedding--no, it was actually before the wedding--the air around you had been disturbed."

Kyle could only look at her.

"And I just have a feeling that somehow I'm the cause of it," Tethys continued. "And then there are these looks that you keep giving me. I have a feeling that you don't like me."

"It's not that I don't like you," Kyle said, which he immediately regretted. "You seem like a nice girl."

"It's something about Forde, isn't it?"

Kyle nearly fell over. After he adjusted himself, he sighed. "What gives you THAT idea?" he asked again.

"Well, because the minute I was around Forde, I could feel it," Tethys said simply. "I know that you two are best friends, so if you're afraid that I'd hurt him, don't worry."

Kyle looked confused.

"I'd like to move to Renais. Ewan seems to like it there and the guys there seem like good marriage material," she went on.

Kyle paled in despair. "Aren't you in Gerik's mercenary group? You and Ewan?"

"Not anymore. Ever since the war ended, he doesn't bother to take us along anymore. It's for the best, I suppose. Ewan's too young for that kind of thing and it's time for me to settle into a normal life. Don't get me wrong, I love to dance and I can't imagine my life without it, but I have to think about the future."

Kyle's head had started to hurt. Was she suggesting that she'd move to Renais and marry Forde? Jealousy burned within him, but he did his best to keep it at bay. "Maybe you should think more on this. That's a big move to make with no plans or anything. I mean, just because you THINK guys from Renais make good husbands?"

"I have a really good feeling about it. I tend to be right about my feelings. Call it 'women's intuition'," Tethys said.

(You're WAY off on this one,) Kyle thought. Even though he didn't have much confidence in the idea of two men being together, he was pretty sure that Forde's feelings for him were more than fleeting. He exhaled slowly to calm himself. "But Forde of all people? I mean, he's kinda unreliable," Kyle said out loud. "He's noisy and he's playful and he snores in his sleep. Really immature, that guy. Not only that, but he also has a short attention span at times. I don't think he has a responsible bone in his body either." He had to think about what he was saying. (Why am I moving in with him again?)

"Wow. You're his best friend. If you'd say things like that about him, then maybe I should reconsider," Tethys said.

"Just think about it, is all I'm saying."

"You give pretty good advice, Sir Kyle. Even so, I still don't know why you dislike me."

"I don't dislike you," Kyle told her.

"Oh, I think you do," Tethys said. "Or maybe you're a little jealous that he's getting the attention rather than you. Don't worry. I think you're handsome too. I just like Forde's type better."

"I don't care about that," Kyle said as he began losing his patience. "Just...think before you make a life-changing decision like packing up and moving."

Tethys smiled and kissed Kyle on the cheek. "You're worried about me. How sweet. Later." She traipsed off to divines only knew where.

Kyle narrowed his eyes. (She wasn't really listening,) he thought. (That's the kind of woman who'll do whatever she wants whenever she wants. And that can be dangerous.)

----------

--back in Renais....

----------

Forde and Ross were in the middle of bringing buckets of water to the front of the house when they saw Ewan lying on the ground just outside the blazing front yard.

"EWAN!" Ross yelled. Before Forde could even think to take a step, Ross had put his buckets down and had already sprinted over to the little mage, picking the smaller teen up in his arms. "Ewan, are you okay?" He looked at Forde with a panic-strickened look on his face. "He's not burned or anything. What happened? Will he be okay?"

Forde finally put his buckets down and jogged over to them. "He's breathing, so he should be fine." He studied the smaller young man. "I think I heard once that if you use too much magic, you'll get exhausted."

Ross looked completely confused.

"It's mental exhaustion. Much less tolerable than actual physical exhaustion," Forde told him. "Take him inside and lay him on the couch. We still have to put out this fire."

Ross looked at Ewan, then back at Forde.

"He'll be fine. Hurry, before the whole place burns down."

Ross nodded and did as he was told.

--soon....

The fire, which was surprisingly orderly, was put out and the two went back inside to check on their smaller companion.

Ross got on his knees beside the sofa. "Ewan?"

"We should let him rest. That's probably all he needs," Forde said. He frowned. "I can't help feeling responsible, but he should've stopped if he was feeling tired."

"I don't know. Ewan can be pretty stubborn when he wants to be," Ross said with a sad smile.

Forde quietly watched as Ross seemingly unconsciously played at Ewan's hair. Seeing Ross so concerned about his friend reminded him of days gone by, when Kyle would look after him. (It was rare that I actually looked after Kyle, considering I was more accident prone,) Forde thought. But instead of 'accident prone' Kyle would have said 'careless'. He smiled at the thought.

Though Kyle was usually pretty hard on him, he truly adored his green-haired comrade. They were complete opposites, so much so that it sometimes really made him wonder how they actually became friends and stayed that way for so long. The two had grown up as soldiers together and were rivals for some time. (I didn't even know we were rivals for a while there,) Forde told himself.

But before they knew it, they couldn't stay away from each other. No matter how much Kyle ranted and raved about how annoying it was to be around Forde, he couldn't stay away. Whoever would've guessed that a friendship like theirs would turn into something like this?

"Why is it that every time I wake up, you're in my face?" Forde heard Ewan ask. The blond man looked at the two.

"Ewan! You're alright!" Ross cheered. The bigger boy threw his arms around the little redhead.

"Of course I'm alright, you bulky blockhead," Ewan said. "Now let me go."

Forde wasn't sure if it was due to the mage's current condition, but he swore he could see a slight pink tint on the smaller man's cheeks.

----------

--Day 3, Jehanna....

----------

(What do I say to Forde when I get back?) Kyle wondered as he lay on the bed in the room that Joshua had provided in the Castle Jehanna. (It's not like I could say no to our king. He has to understand that.) The green-haired knight closed his eyes and sighed. Why was he feeling guilty about this when it was his job?

--

_"I think if we work hard on the house tomorrow, we'll be able to move in right away," Kyle remembered Forde whispering to him a few nights ago. "We got a lot done today."_

_"Are you in that much of a hurry to leave the castle?"_

_"Well, I was just thinking that the sooner it's done, the better, you know?" Forde had said. "Besides, I can't wait to see what you'll do once you're out of excuses."_

--

Tensions between them had been rising, so being apart for a while was probably a good way to cool things down and think things through. Two men? Even Kyle had to admit that it was a completely absurd concept. Yet, for some reason the people around them seemed to accept it. Well, Seth and Cormag shouldn't count because they were together too. And from what Kyle knew, not many people knew about that. Then there was Gerik and Joshua, but the same applied to them.

Kyle thought back to their trip to Grado when he was giving Neimi a little advice. It was so unlike him to advise people, especially when it came to relationships, but he did always like the idea of Neimi and Colm being a couple:

--

_"Then once you get back to Renais, you should give it another chance," Kyle had told Neimi in reference to her recent breakup with Colm. "If you ask me, you're one of those couples who should always be together. You're always there to protect each other and you compliment each other so well. You help him to get in touch with his feelings and he gives you a sense of security."_

_"You're right. I'll do it," Neimi had said. "You give good, sound relationship advice. You should think about taking your own advice."_

_"Taking my own advice? What do you mean?"_

_"Well, you have someone who's like that with you," Neimi had told him. "You take care of him all the time and you worry about--"_

_"You're talking about Forde, aren't you? Why is that the subject of this trip? It's like everyone's trying to get us together or something. What? Is it the fashionable thing to do these days? For a man to court another man?"_

_"Well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you don't love Forde."_

--

Kyle cringed. He wished he hadn't remembered that. Not only was that outright support from someone who wasn't in a same sex relationship, but she'd brought up the dreaded L word. That was a word he just didn't understand. The green paladin was willing to admit that he cared greatly for Forde. He was also willing to admit that he didn't like the idea of being separated from him. He was EVEN willing to admit that their relationship had drifted past the point of friendship. But THAT was a word he wasn't willing to bring into the picture.

A knock on Kyle's door startled him out of his thoughts. He quickly made his way to the door and opened it to find Ephraim standing there.

"Your Highness," Kyle said.

Ephraim nodded to him. "Good day to you, Kyle. I thought that today would be a good day to visit Darkling Woods. You don't have any plans for the day, do you?"

"No, Sire," Kyle told him.

Renais' king studied Kyle's face. "Maybe you should get some more rest. You look a little out of it. Are you feeling alright?"

Truth be told, Kyle was still a little shaken from his earlier thoughts. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. We should make this journey as soon as possible. It's the reason you came, right?"

"You make it sound bad for me, Kyle. Very well. Let's ride," Ephraim said.

----------

--Renais....

----------

Forde had picked up his two house helpers and Ewan had once again chosen to ride with him again instead of with Ross. The blond was smiling the whole time because he had some entertainment. Ewan and Ross were arguing and it was hilarious to him.

"I'm never sleeping with you again!" Ewan said. "No extra bedding? That must be an excuse to use me as your personal...fireplace or something."

Now, Forde knew Ewan to make wittier comments than this. He must have really been at a loss for words. Forde couldn't help giggling.

"But we really don't have extra bedding. We never had guests, so there was no need--" Ross tried to explain.

"Well, then. Don't invite someone to stay at your place if you don't have a place for him to stay," Ewan said. "Or the least you could do is not lie on top of the person you're sleeping with."

(This is making it sound worse,) Forde thought, still giggling.

"I wasn't lying on top of you," Ross attempted to defend.

"You were. You sleep like the dead, so you wouldn't know. I had to roll you off of me, not once, not even twice. Three times!" Ewan went on.

Ross was obviously embarrassed.

"Surely you're over-exaggerating, Ewan," Forde said.

"That guy doesn't know what to do with his body. He grew too fast over the past couple of years," Ewan said. "At the end of the Great War, he was pretty close to my height and he was only a little bigger than me. Then every time I came to visit, he got bigger. Now he's close to your height and it'd take two of me standing shoulder-to-shoulder to make him."

"_Now_you're over-exaggerating," Forde told him. "But why are you so angry about it? Is it because you haven't grown?"

Ewan was quiet for a long time.

"You're jealous because Ross is bigger than you?" Forde asked.

Ross looked a little confused.

"I'm not. He's always been bigger than me," Ewan said quietly. "It's just weird to see him change so much so suddenly." He started speaking louder. "And it's annoying when you share a bed with someone who's twice your size and he insists on lying on top of you!!!"

Forde almost laughed out loud from that last statement.

"I'm sorry. I'll try not to do it again," Ross said. "You should've woke me up and told me."

"Did I not just say that you sleep like the dead?" Ewan reminded him.

"Well, listen. If it'll cause less complications between the two of you, then I'll dig up one of the blankets out of my parents' place and let you have it. How's that, Ewan?" Forde asked.

"That would really help. That means I don't have to sleep with that big gorilla anymore," Ewan said. "Thanks, Forde."

Forde couldn't help noticing the disappointed look on Ross's face.

----------

--Darkling Wood....

----------

It wasn't hard to tell where Myrrh was living in Darkling Wood. Though she was basically a dragon, she had a little cabin set up out there. (It must have been Saleh's idea,) Kyle thought as he and his king rode near.

Ephraim looked over at his royal guard. "There's been a lot on your mind lately, hasn't there, Kyle?"

Kyle was silent for a moment before Ephraim assumed that he was right.

"You know, I may be your king, but I always tell you that I'm your friend first. If there's something you need to get off your chest, you're free to discuss it with me," Ephraim said.

(I just don't think I can talk to you about this, Ephraim. Sorry,) Kyle thought. "I know you are my friend. I consider you a friend. But there are some things that I just can't talk about."

"So, it's better to think about it all by yourself?" Ephraim asked. "I won't press the matter if you don't want to talk about it, but when it starts effecting your performance, I have to suggest talking to SOMEONE at least. I heard that you were injured during the attack on Briar. It's unlike you to be so distracted, even during such a small skirmish."

Kyle lowered his head. (That Forde. He never should've brought Natasha in to heal me. I'll bet she was the one who told him.) He looked at Ephraim. "Well, I guess you do have a point.... Your Highness, I want to move out of the palace."

"Is that what's been bothering you?" Ephraim asked with a laugh. "You know you're free to leave whenever you see fit. But you're one of the best that I have. I just hope that you're still willing to work for me."

"You flatter me, Sire. Of course, I'll continue to work for you," Kyle told him.

"So, what's all this moving out about?" Ephraim asked with another chuckle. "Have you found someone who'll bear your children?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Kyle replied.

Ephraim nodded. "Then why move out? Wouldn't things be more complicated if you live by yourself? And on top of that you'd be farther away from where you work."

"Well, I won't be alone. Forde will be living with me. And we won't be very far away either. Only a few dozen paces outside the palace walls."

"Really? Interesting. You and Forde, huh? That's...odd. I was sure that you two would get as far away from each other as you could," Ephraim commented.

"Well, we've been together this long. It almost seems right that we move in together," Kyle said slowly, thinking that no matter how he said it, it would come out wrong.

"So, why all the worrying? Were you afraid that I'd say no?" Ephraim asked.

Kyle fell silent again.

"So, that _isn't_what's been on your mind?"

"No, it has. I just...thought you'd be disappointed that I was leaving since I work so closely under you."

"Oh don't worry about it," Ephraim told him. "And I know that's not all that's bothering you. You're probably just at that time in your life where you need that special someone to spend the rest of your life with." He sighed. "Or something like that. I don't know."

Was that it? He was only in his latter twenties. And even though everyone he knew was either getting married, planned to get married or was already married, he hadn't really even thought about it. The green paladin was perfectly happy serving his king. Besides wanting a little more space in which to live, he didn't have anything in particular that he wanted.

Yet, Forde immediately came to mind....

The green paladin and his king arrived at the little cabin and dismounted from their horses. Before they could even get to the door, it had been swung open and the little Manakete came running out, a huge smile on her face.

Myrrh lept at Ephraim and hugged him, giggling all the while. "It's been such a long time. It's great to see you."

"It's great seeing you again too, Myrrh," Ephraim said. "You're much more energetic than usual."

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. It's rare that I hear horses pass through, but whenever I do hear them, I always hope that it's you," Myrrh told him. "This time it was!"

(So this is why he didn't bring Tana with him. She probably would've gone ballistic after seeing something like this,) Kyle said.

Myrrh looked at Kyle. "Hello, Sir Kyle." She finally let go of Ephraim. "Please come in. We can have tea and talk."

----------

--back in Renais....

----------

(Maybe Kyle changed his mind at the last minute. Maybe that's why he took that mission,) Forde thought. (It's true that it's his job, but maybe he just wanted an excuse to back out of the whole thing. It's not like he's really keen on the idea of us being together.) But then, he grinned to himself as he was adjusting the paintings on the walls of his soon-to-be home. (Of course, he can't even kiss me without getting a major stiffy.)

He sighed. (All I know is that if I don't stay confident about this, Kyle will see that and definitely change his mind. It was my idea after all.)

The blond paladin continued to ponder his situation until he was about to head toward the other side of the room to adjust another painting and ended up tripping over the sofa, flipping over the back of it and landing flat on his back. "Ouch!" He just lay on the floor for a while and looked up at the sofa. "How did I miss that?" he murmured.

"Come on, Ross. Help me move this couch," Forde said, as he slowly got up. He looked around. "Ross?"

--in the kitchen....

"I can't believe I actually volunteered for this," Ewan grumbled as he was washing dishes. "And I can't believe you're actually in here watching me. Can't you make yourself useful at least?"

Ross frowned. "I guess I could dry."

"Now you're thinking. I never would've imagined you were capable of it," Ewan said, laughing at his own joke.

"That's it! Now you're gonna get it!" Ross declared. He got behind Ewan and bent him over the wash basin so that his face was near the water. "Say you're sorry or I'll dunk you."

Ewan placed his hands on either side of the basin to keep from tilting on in. "Say I'm sorry for what? All I did was speak the truth," Ewan struggled to say.

Just then Forde walked into the kitchen and just looked at them for a while. (What are they doing?) he asked himself. "Uh, Ross?"

Ross gasped and pulled himself and Ewan upright, yet he kept a hold of Ewan. "Yes?"

"I wanted you to help me move--" Forde began. He paused and just looked at them again for a while. "What were you two doing?"

"Nothing," Ross said.

Ewan shook Ross off of him. "I was TRYING to wash the dishes and this big brute attacked me!"

Forde snickered. (That could be taken as something dirty,) he thought. "I'll bet it's because you provoked him. Ross is pretty gentle until you get under his skin."

Ewan groaned. "Listen, I'm doing you a favor by washing your dusty dishes. You two should do some work too. Or at least let ME work." He spinned on his heels and started back washing dishes.

"Alright, alright. Come on, Ross. Help me move this couch," Forde said.

Once he and Ross got in the living room, Forde looked at him for a long time.

"What?" Ross asked.

"I won't say what you two looked like in there," Forde said.

Ross blushed deep red.

(For someone who's slow on the uptake, he sure got that one fast enough,) Forde thought. "I just wanna ask. Ewan brought up earlier that you were lying on top of him last night. Was that on purpose?"

"No!" Ross said, turning redder. "What are you trying to say?"

Forde smiled to himself. (This kid knows what I'm talking about considering he's catching onto everything so quickly. Innocent, absent-minded little Ross. Well, not so 'little'.) "Just think about it. In the meantime, let's move this couch."

----------

--Days passed....

----------

Things went relatively smoothly for Forde and his group of teens. Ewan and Ross continued to help Forde fix up the house and Franz and Amelia even joined in later. Of course, Franz was feeling sentimental, even though he was pretty young when he and Forde left that house for good, so he and Amelia only helped out for a short time. Forde understood this. He'd felt sentimental himself, but it was usually when he wasn't laughing at Ross and Ewan's squabbles.

Speaking of those two, they never stopped arguing. Forde was thoroughly entertained whenever he saw them going at it and he wondered if people thought that way when he and Kyle would argue.

It only took a couple of days to finish fixing up the house. Many hands really DID make light work. Unfortunately, that left Forde with little to do to keep his little wards occupied. In other words, it was hard keeping those two, mainly Ewan, from destroying the entire castle any time they came over. So, painting became a big part of their day, and even though the two would usually end up throwing paint at each other, Forde found that Ewan was rather talented at painting. Ross, however, could use some work.

Kyle, on the other hand, was constantly tormented by the fact that he'd basically broken his promise to help Forde with the house. He and his king had visited with Myrrh and gone back to Castle Jehanna where they were invited out for drinks with Joshua and Gerik. And of course, whenever those two had even a little alcohol in their systems, they usually got pretty lovey dovey. Thankfully, those two didn't bring up the fact that Kyle and Forde were headed toward that kind of relationship, even though Ephraim didn't seem disgusted or even bothered by the way Gerik and Joshua were.

Before heading back to Renais, Kyle had been walking through the Jehanna shopping district and something caught his eye. It was a belt with a design of a sword as the buckle. He immediately thought of Forde upon seeing it, considering it was the blond's preferred weapon, and so he bought it.

Kyle and Ephraim had stopped in with Myrrh one more time on their way back to Renais. The paladin found that Ephraim and Myrrh's relationship really was like that of brother and sister. Kyle may have been slow in the romance department, but it was easy to see that there was nothing going on between these two. There was nothing for Tana to worry about.... Well, except for the fact that Ephraim couldn't seem to see that he was in love with Tana and it wasn't just a 'strategic' marriage. Perhaps his king was simply in denial.

The week spent away from Forde allowed Kyle to clear his head, but no matter what was going on, his mind was always on Forde. So, perhaps his king had not been the only one who was in denial.

----------

--The Return....

----------

Forde stood in the main hall with Seth and Cormag once again, just chatting with them, as usual.

"Are you ever going back to Grado, Cormag? You've been here for a long time," Forde said.

Cormag tilted his head to the side. "Have I worn out my welcome here?"

"No. That's not what I meant. What I mean is, are you planning to go back?" Forde asked.

"Of course, I'll go back," Cormag said simply.

"There's a lot of restoration work that still needs to be done there," Seth said. "I'll go along to help them organize."

Forde smiled. "You know, lately, you two can't seem to stay away from each other. I mean, I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but Seth, your trips to Grado have come around more often and your stays have been longer. You two can't keep going on like this. Being separated from the one who means the most to you...."

They were all silent for a long time until Cormag spoke up. "Kyle," was all he said.

"I don't understand how you two do it," Forde whined. "We've only been apart for about a week and it's driving me crazy. I mean, sure, I've been preoccupied with those two troublemakers, but I'm really distracted when he's not around."

"Where ARE the little troublemakers anyway?" Seth asked.

Forde sighed. "I left them in my room painting again. I just stopped cleaning up all the paint they end up throwing at each other, so it really doesn't matter what happens in there now."

"That's just like you, Forde. Never taking responsibility for what you cause," someone said from behind them.

They all knew that it was Kyle, but Forde had to spin around and look at him to make sure he wasn't just imagining things. A huge smile appeared on the blond paladin's face. "Kyle."

"Hi, Forde," Kyle muttered.

----------------

_To be continued...._

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a/n: Nah, that wasn't a very romantic reunion. Then I ended it right when they're finally getting back together! Shame on me again. But there's more to come. As a matter of fact, I think this next chapter is gonna be the last. And after that, we'll see what happens.


End file.
